Ben Sternberg
Major General Ben Sternberg (28 February 19142 January 2004) was a United States Army officer who served in World War II and the Vietnam War. Early life. He was born in Starke, Florida on 28 February 1914. Military career. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1938. In March 1943 as a Lieutenant colonel he commanded the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in combat at the Battle of El Guettar, Tunisia. For his actions he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. During the Allied invasion of Sicily he led the 2/18th Infantry when  it captured Ponte Olivo Airfield From January 1964 to March 1996 he served as a J-1 Manpower and Personnel Directorate, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. He was promoted to Major general on 1 February 1965. From March 1966 to July 1967 he commanded the 101st Airborne Division. The Associated Press on 9 June 1966 reported him saying that the U.S. would need 500,000 more troops to seal off the borders of South Vietnam from infiltration, that Premier Nguyễn Cao Kỳ would probably have to step aside given the repercussions of the Buddhist Uprising and that a U.S. defeat in Vietnam was  a possibility. On 23 July 1966 he escorted President Lyndon B. Johnson on an inspection of the division. In 1971 he commanded the 25th Infantry Division. His final assignment was as commanding general U.S. Army, Hawaii. Later life. He retired from the U.S. Army in Hawaii. He died on 2 January 2004 at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Decorations. His decorations include Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star.