Ralph Wise Zwicker Major General Ralph Wise Zwicker , USA , ( April 17 , 1903 – August 9 , 1991 ) was an American Army officer who came to public attention during Senator Joseph McCarthy ' s investigation in 1954 . Biography . Zwicker was born on April 17 , 1903 in Stoughton , Wisconsin . He was the first Eagle Scout in the state and graduated from high school in Madison , Wisconsin . After highschool he attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison before being recommended for West Point . He graduated in 1927 . Zwicker ' s brother , Michael , also served in the Army as a Colonel . He married Dorothy Harriet Stewart on July 14 , 1927 exactly one month after graduating West Point and had three children . Their son , Ralph , would later serve in the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel . Zwicker died on August 9 , 1991 at Fort Belvoir . He is buried along with Dorothy and Michael at Arlington National Cemetery . Career . Zwicker graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1927 and was assigned to Fort Snelling . In 1934 he became an instructor at the United States Military Academy . Later he was assigned to Fort Douglas , Camp Bullis , and Fort Sam Houston . In 1941 he became an instructor at the United States Army Infantry School . During World War II Lt . Colonel Zwicker participated in the Normandy landings on D - Day with the 29th Infantry Division . Going ashore pre - first wave with roughly 100 soldiers as Forward Observer / Beachmaster in the Easy Red Sector of Omaha Beach , sending back intelligence on enemy troop movements , placement of enemy artillery et cetera to the Commanding General Headquarters V Corp . For his actions on D - Day he was awarded the Bronze Star with arrowhead , Silver Star , Distinguished Service Order from Great Britain and was promoted to full Colonel soon thereafter . Due to fortunate circumstances Colonel Zwicker took command of the 38th Infantry Regiment on July 5 , 1944 . Less than one week later on July 11 , 1944 , Major General Walter M . Robertson commander of the 2nd Infantry Division gave the order to take Hill 192 . Hill 192 was a major German defensive stronghold that was covered with ancient hedgerows and thick old - growth tree clusters . Taking Hill 192 took the full force and might of the 2nd Infantry Division along with 9 battalions of artillery using a tactic called " Moving Barrage " . During the day roughly 25 , 000 rounds of artillery consisting of 50 % H . E . and 50 % W . P were levied on the hill before it was taken . This was the only time during the war a moving barrage was used . Now the gateway was open for the battle of St . Lo and the beginning of what was to known as " the breakout . " For his actions on hill 192 Colonel Zwicker was awarded his second Silver Star . During the Battle of Brest elements of the 38th Infantry Regiment were the first Americans to enter the city . The port of Brest was captured after 39 days of combat on September 19 , 1944 . Sometime during the battle of Brest Colonel Zwicker was awarded his second Bronze Star . On October 11 , 1944 Colonel Zwicker was transferred to Headquarters 2nd Inf Division and promoted to the position of Chief of Staff ( G - 3 ) of the 2nd Infantry Division until the end of the war . Out of the 25 Legion of Merits awarded by the 2nd Infantry Division during the war Colonel Zwicker was awarded two . Later he attended the Naval War College and the National War College . In 1952 he became an instructor at the National War College after serving as the commander of the 18th Infantry Regiment in Germany . In March 1953 He was promoted to Brigadier General and became commander of Camp Kilmer in New Jersey . He then was sent to Japan 1954 and was made commander of the Southwestern Command AFFE until it was deactivated in 1956 . He was then promoted to Major General in May 1956 and took over command of the 24th Infantry Division in Korea . During his command the 24th Division was deactivated and was replaced with the 1st Cavalry Division which he commanded until late 1958 . Returning to the United States he was made commander of the XX Corps Fort Hayes , Ohio , until he retired in 1960 . When General of the Army Omar Bradley died in April 1981 , Ralph W . Zwicker was named one of the honorary pallbearer ' s at his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery Among the awards he received were , 2 Silver Stars , 2 Legion of Merit , 3 Bronze Star Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters , Purple Heart , Army Commendation Medal as well as the Distinguished Service Order from the United Kingdom , Croix de Guerre with 3 palms from France , The Legion of Honor France and was also Awarded medals from Czechoslovakia and Russia . Involvement with the McCarthy investigation , 1954 . While Zwicker was in command at Camp Kilmer , New Jersey , one of his subordinate officers , Major Irving Peress , had been ordered to be discharged from the Army because of his failure to answer questions on a loyalty review form . Having learned of this , the Senate investigating subcommittee of Joseph McCarthy subpoenaed Peress to testify on January 30 , 1954 . Peress refused to answer questions , citing Fifth Amendment protection against self - incrimination . McCarthy thereupon wrote to Secretary of the Army , Robert Stevens , to demand Peress ' court martial . Peress on the same day requested that his pending discharge be acted upon immediately , and Zwicker , his commanding officer , granted him an honorable discharge . McCarthy then called Zwicker to appear before the subcommittee on February 18 , where on advice from Army counsel he refused to answer some of McCarthy ' s questions . Zwicker ' s testimony , as to whether he had known of Peress ' refusal to testify before the same committee at the time that Zwicker granted his discharge , was apparently inconsistent . McCarthy retorted that Zwicker ' s intelligence was that of a " five - year - old child " , and that he was " not fit to wear that uniform " . Army Secretary Stevens ordered Zwicker not to return to McCarthy ' s hearing . This abuse of Zwicker , a distinguished officer and highly - decorated battlefield hero of World War II , provoked anger against McCarthy from many quarters , including the Army and President Eisenhower , who shortly thereafter initiated the Army – McCarthy hearings that lead to McCarthy ' s downfall and censure . In considering the censure resolution , a select committee chaired by Senator Arthur Vivian Watkins evaluated 46 charges in a " bill of particulars " , ultimately reducing them to two , the second being his abuse of General Zwicker as a witness . The Zwicker count was subsequently dropped by the full Senate , and replaced by one in response to McCarthy ' s abuse of the Watkins committee itself .