Harvey Jablonsky Harvey J . " Jabo " Jablonsky ( born January 10 , 1909 – April 4 , 1989 ) was ( most notably ) an American football player and U . S Army Veteran . He was a ' highly decorated veteran ' of both WWII and later in his career the Vietnam War . He was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978 . Early life . Harvey J . Jablonsky was born January 10 , 1909 in Missouri U . S . A to mother Eugenia from England , and father Arthur from Germany . His parents did not have their own home , instead they lived along with Arthurs parents ( Harveys grandparents ) in their Griesse Ave home in St . Louis County . Missouri . There they lived in a house of three generations . Harveys grandfather August and mother in law Alice lived along with Harveys parents Arthur & Eugenia , as well as Arthurs brothers , Harveys uncles ) . Harvey J ' s grandfather August immigrated from Germany in 1880 to the U . S where he married his new wife Alice in St Louis , Missouri in 1885 . It is stated on the " Census : 1900 , St . Louis , Missouri . " that his parents were both born in U . S . A , but it also states about his father Arthur that [ " It would appear Arthur was a son of August ' s by a prior marriage . " ] August ' s wife Alice was not Harvey J . ' s true Grandmother . Furthermore the information from the 1910 census shows that Harvey J . ( 1909 ) was in fact named after his uncle of the same name ( his fathers half brother who was called simply " Harvey Jablonsky " - minus the " . J " ) , who is documented as living with the family on the 1900 census but not on the 1910 census . It is unclear exactly what happened to uncle Harvey and why he was named after him . In 1927 he attended Washington University in St . Louis . In 1929 he was made captain of his team and also awarded the highest honor for college football the College Football All - America Team award . After graduating Washington he enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York where he continued to play football in the position of guard , from 1931 to 1933 , and became Army ' s captain in 1933 . He graduated from the academy in 1934 . Jablonsky remained at West Point as assistant coach for nine years . He was also married to his first wife Dorothy Jablonsky during these years and the 1940 census shows he has had his first children , Daughter Jean born 1937 in Virginia & Son David Jablonsky born 1939 in Panama . Military Career & Later Life . On 31 May 1943 he was rank Lt Colonel and appointed Executive Officer of 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment " Jumping Wolves " at Fort Benning , Georgia He remained an Executive Officer until November 1943 when the 515th PIR moved to Camp Mackall , North Carolina . On 7 March 1944 the " Jumping Wolves " became a part of the 13th Airborne Division at Camp Mackall . On January 18 , 1945 the 515th PIR received orders to move to Camp Shank in New York . January 25 the 13th Airborne Division received their overseas orders and embarked for Europe . They arrived at Le Havre France on February 8 , 1945 . On the same day , February 8 the men disembarked Le Harve France and boarded trains for Camp Lucky Strike near Ste Valery en Caux , France . A few days later the 515th former XO , Colonel Harvey J Jablonsky , ( who had already been deployed to France ) assumed command once again of the " Jumping Wolves " . On Feb 13Th 1945 Jablonsky is listed as a commanding officer of the 515th PIR Although the unit did prepare for combat in Operation Comet ( or Operation Market Garden ) the strength of the Allied forces continually negated the need for airborne operations and as German defenses weakened , victory in Europe became a reality . The only combat action was left in the Pacific . Redeployment began on July 18 , 1945 but by the time the ' Jumping Wolves ' reached New York the war in the Pacific was over . The 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment was deactivated at Fort Bragg , North Carolina on 25 February 1946 . In 1946 he once again returned to West Point to serve as assistant coach . Jablonsky is listed as a Commander of the [ 187th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) ] from July 1948 - June 1950 . In February and March 1950 he participated in Exercise Swarmer the largest peacetime airborne maneuvers ever conducted . The 187th airborne received the highest performance scores in this exercise which was directly related to their being chosen to deploy to Korea as an Airborne Regimental Combat Team . . . credit for the superior performance of the Regiment must go to its commander at that time . . Harvey J . Jablonsky . In Sep 1950 elements of the 187th were attached to the 1st Marine Division to participate in the amphibious landings at Inchon . Harvey commanded the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood , Texas during 1963 . Harvey also served in the Vietnam War . Harvey was sent to Tehran , Iran during 1964 – 1965 and he became chief military adviser from 1965 to 1968 . As chief military adviser he had the title Jablonsky , Major General Harvey J . , USA , Chief , ARMISH / MAAG , Tehran , August 1965 – July 1968 He was reportedly living on Price Rd . Olivette , St . Louis during 1967 . Harvey retired from service in 1968 and went on to become vice president of the Northrop Corporation where he furthered his career within the private defense sector . He was sent back to Iran in 1970 - by Northrop Corp . to work on an ' advanced $ 225 million tele - communications system . ' He died of congestive heart failure on April 4 , 1989 , at the Nursing Center of the Army Residence in San Antonio , Texas . He was aged 80 and was survived by his children ( and his late wife Virgie who died recently on November 3 , 2012 ) . He is survived by his daughter ' s Jean Rickard and Lea Uhre ; , David Jablonsky ( Col . , USA , Ret . ) . He also has numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren .