Richard J . Seitz Lieutenant General Richard “ Dick ” Joe Seitz ( February 18 , 1918 – June 8 , 2013 ) was an American Army officer and paratrooper who , during a 35 - year career , commanded the 2nd Battalion , 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II , the 82nd Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps . Family and education . Seitz and his brother , Brigadier General John A . “ Andy ” Seitz , both graduated from Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth , Kansas . Seitz graduated from high school in 1937 and was cadet commander of his school ' s ROTC unit . He also received the American Legion Cup as the outstanding cadet his senior year . In Leavenworth his father owned a wholesale milk and ice cream business and also served as the town ' s mayor . Attending $ 3 , Seitz majored in agriculture and dairy husbandry . Having completed his senior - level ROTC work in two years , in 1939 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry . While at Kansas State , Seitz was a member of the Alpha Omega Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha . Years later , Seitz earned a bachelor ' s degree from the University of Omaha ( now the University of Nebraska at Omaha ) . His military education included the Infantry School , Air Corps Technical School Rigger Course , the Command and General Staff College , the Armed Forces Staff College , Army Language School ( Portuguese ) , the Army War College , and the Sanz Language School — Persian . Seitz ’ s first and second wives preceded him in death . He met his first wife , the former Betty Merrill , while a student at Kansas State . They became reacquainted in France during World War II . Merrill was working as a Red Cross volunteer and Seitz had recently led his battalion during the Battle of Bulge . They were married in Joigny , France on June 23 , 1945 . The General and his second wife , Virginia “ Ginny ” L . Seitz , were married on January 12 , 1980 . Seitz and his first wife are the parents of one son and three daughters : Major Rick Seitz , Judge Patricia Seitz , Dr . Catherine Seitz , and Dr . Victoria Seitz . Military career . While taking a year away from Kansas State to earn money for tuition , Seitz was called to duty in 1940 with the 38th Infantry Regiment in Texas . With the Army rapidly growing as the threat of war loomed , he quickly found himself in command of company , a job normally that went to a captain . While attending an infantry course at Ft . Benning , he saw the original Parachute Test Platoon commanded by Bill Ryder and decided to become a paratrooper . After overcoming the objections of his battalion commander , Seitz took airborne training under the command of the legendary Bill Lee . From 1950 to 1953 , Seitz commanded the Airborne School at Ft . Benning , Georgia . Seitz ' s first assignment after earning his jump wings was a member of the 503d Parachute Infantry Battalion under the command of then - Major Robert Sink . His company commander was then - Captain Jim Gavin . Years later , Seitz credited Gavin with helping to instill in him the importance of a calm demeanor in communicating with soldiers . As a young captain , the commander of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment Colonel Louis A . Walsh , Jr . saw tremendous potential in Seitz and placed him command of the 2nd Battalion in 1943 . His selection for command made him one the youngest infantry battalion commanders during World War II at three days shy of his 25th birthday . The 517th consisted of three battalions , the 1st Battalion , commanded by William J . Boyle , Seitz ’ s 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Battalion commanded by LTC Melvin Zais plus the 460th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion commanded by LTC Raymond L . Cato . During the Battle of Bulge , the 28 - year - old Seitz and his battalion of paratroopers would prove instrumental . Seitz headed “ Task Force Seitz ” built around his battalion and a company of 7th Armored Division tanks , equipped with some half - tracks , a detachment of engineers , and some self - propelled anti - tank guns . In twin attacks on two days , one after dark and the other in late evening , Seitz sent the Germans reeling back to the village of Hunnange , which was the gateway to St . Vith . In both attacks , paratroopers had to cross long stretches of open ground . With all guns blazing and with a massive artillery support fire , they locked up the crossroads village and waited in broad daylight for the huge armored assault that came behind them headed for the next stop , St . Vith . The battered battalion , which lost more than 400 of the original 600 who entered Belgium only four weeks earlier , won acclaim for its grueling feat in the freezing evenings of a Belgian January . Seitz and his men were nominated for a Presidential Unit Citation , but in the confused business of the Bulge , the award was never made . Seitz received the Silver Star for his actions . Seitz remained in the Army following the World War II . From 1947 to 1949 he served in Japan with the 11th Airborne Division . From January , 1949 , he served as the G - 3 of the 11th Airborne Division at Ft . Campbell , Ky . In 1950 , he graduated from the Command and General Staff College , at Ft . Leavenworth , Ks . He was promoted to colonel in 1954 while serving in Brazil as part of the U . S . Military Assistance Group ( Brazil ) . In the spring of 1957 , he received orders to report to Carlisle Barracks , Pa . , to attend the Army War College . In June , 1958 , upon completion of the War College , he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division to command the 2d Airborne Battle Group , 503d Infantry at Fort Bragg , N . C . In June 1959 , he became the G - 3 for the XVIII Airborne Corps . For a year beginning in June 1960 , he was Chief , Field Training Team U . S . Military Assistance Group , Iran . Following six - months at the University of Omaha , beginning in February 1962 he served for a year as Executive Officer , Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel , Department of the Army . Seitz was promoted to brigadier general in July 1963 and appointed Chief , Combined Armed Division and then Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel . He served in this role until July 1965 when he was named Assistant Deputy Commanding General , U . S . Army Vietnam ( August 1965 - December 1965 ) and then served as Deputy Chief of Staff , U . S . Army , Vietnam ( January 1966 - March 1966 ) and Chief of Staff , U . S . Army , Vietnam ( April 1966 - April 1967 ) . In March 1967 , Seitz was promoted to major general and a month later assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft . Bragg . Seitz spent about a year and a half as commanding general but it was an eventful time in the history of the Airborne and the United States . In July 1967 , a brigade from the Division was called to help quell rioting in Detroit . In February 1968 , following the Tet Offensive , with less than 36 hours notice the Division deployed its 3rd Brigade to Vietnam . In late 1968 , two brigades from the Division were called out to put down rioting in Washington , DC , after the assassination of Rev . Martin Luther King with General Seitz personally commanding the effort . One source credits Seitz for making the Division ' s distinctive maroon beret an accepted portion of its uniform but this is contradicted by other sources In October 1968 , Seitz became Chairman , U . S . Delegation of Joint Brazil - US Military Commission . He held this position until July 1970 when he became Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel . In May 1973 , he was promoted to lieutenant general . His final assignment returned him to the Airborne as the commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Ft . Bragg . He retired from active duty in 1975 . Awards and honors . The Association of the United States Army awarded Seitz the Creighton Abrams Award in 2003 . The award was conferred to recognize “ Seitz for his efforts to create a greater public awareness of the Army and to garner support for today ' s soldiers from citizens in all walks of life . ” In 2006 Pi Kappa Alpha awarded him its prestigious “ Order of the West Range ” award . During a celebration of the anniversary of Operation Dragon in September 2011 , the French government conferred on him the National Order of the Legion of Honour , France ' s highest decoration . In 2012 , a new elementary school , Seitz Elementary School , was named in the General ' s honor . The school ' s mascot is the Dragon in honor of the battalion Seitz commanded during World War II . Death . Seitz died on June 8 , 2013 of congestive heart failure . He was 95 .