Notes for: John Frank RUGGLES

Living in 1993.
Biography:
John Frank, son of Albert and Agnes (Hinds) Ruggles, was born November 7, 1908 in Lyndonville, VT. He attended local schools and graduated from Lyndon Institute (High School) in 1926. Undecided as to what college he wished to attend and with his belief that his family could not afford to finance university studies, he took a post-graduate year at the Lyndon Institute. During his time he took the competitive examinations sponsored by Congressman Ernest Gibson, of Brattleboro, VT, for an appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point. He received the appointment and entered West Point 01 Jul 1927. He received his commission as a 2nd Lieut on 11 Jun 1931.

John's first assignment, lasting four years, was to the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division then stationed at Plattsburg Barracks, New York. During this time he married September 7, 1933 in Littleton, NH, Anita LeJeune, born July 1, 1907, daughter of Joseph LeJeune of Plattsburg, NY.

After Plattsburg came an assignment to the 31st Infantry Regiment in Manila, Philippine Islands. While stationed there (1935-37), the Philippines were granted their Commonwealth Government and the ten year transition to full independence began. This was interrupted by the Japanese invasion in 1941 and General MacArthur arrived in Manila to supervise the training of the Commonwealth's armed forces.

Upon returning from the Philippines, John attended the Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA, in 1937 and then went on to an assignment in the 18th Infantry Regiment at Fort Devens, MA. This was an assignment almost back home as part of his training was d one on the artillery range at Underhill, VT.

After Hitler marched into Poland September 1, 1939, John's unit was moved to the Panama Canal Zone where he remained until 1942. During this time Anita became ill with tuberculosis and returned to New York where she died in a sanatorium in 1941. This was the same disease which took John's elder brother Homer in 1921.

John heard, as did most Americans, over the radio on September 7 1941, of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and although they were already on a wartime alert status, it brought on the full realization of the fact that we were engaged in another World War.

John married secondly on February 14, 1942, in Corocal, Canal Zone, Panama, Charlotte Thompson, born January 16, 1916, daughter of Thomas and Mary (O'Neill) Thompson of Albion, Nebraska. She was stationed in Panama as an army nurse. John and Charlotte returned from Panama in 1942 to Fort Benning, GA, where he asked for an assignment to the 4th Infantry Division, then engaged in amphibious training at nearby Camp Gordon Johnson, Carabelle, FL. He joined the 4th Division in November 1943, and was promoted to Colonel.

After completing amphibious training, the 4th Division was shipped to Devonshire, in southern England. Here John Learned that they were to be the assault division on Utah Beach in Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The Division participated in the drive across France and was the first American division to enter Paris, and to set foot on German soil. With their sister Division "The Big Red One" they engaged in the noted "Battle of the Bulge" and by early 1945 Col. Ruggles took command of the 22nd Infantry Regiment for the crossing of the Rhine and the drive across Bavaria. They crossed the Danube River April 25, 1945, where it was apparent that the end of German resistance was soon to come. After a short occupational stint in the Nurenberg area, the 4th Division was returned to the US and was stationed at Camp Butner, NC. During his service in Europe he made the acquaintance of notable personalities, among them Brigadier General "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Ernest Hemingway, who was at the time a war correspondent who had adopted the 22nd as his own unit.

From 1945-55 he was a student at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS(1945-46); staff duty in the Headquarters, Army Group Forces, at Fort Monroe, Washington DC (1947-50); student at the Army's top school, the Army War College, (1950-51); staff duty again in Washington DC (1951-55), thus missing out on the Korean War.
John received orders to Alaska in 1955 and there took command of the 4th Regimental Combat Command stationed on Ladd Air Force Base near Fairbanks. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1956 and became Deputy Infantry Commanding General of the US Army, Alaska and Commanding General of the Yukon Command. In March of 1857 General Ruggles reported to Fort Benning, GA for duty as the Deputy Infantry Center Commander.

Promotion to Major General and orders to South Vietnam came almost hand in hand in May 1959. In Saigon he took over the duties of Deputy Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group with primary responsibility for the training of the Vietnamese Armed Forces. Most of his two years in South Vietnam was spent in the field visiting and inspecting units and schools in training.

At the end of his tour in Vietnam (June 1961) General Ruggles received orders to take command of the First Infantry Division and the Post of Fort Riley, KS. The wheel had turned full circle: he was returning to "The Big Red One", the unit in which he had started his commissioned service some thirty years previous.
In January 1962 he was transferred to duty in the Department of Defence in Washington as Senior Army Member of the Weapons Systems Evaluation Group.

General Ruggles retired from active service at the end of July 1966. During his service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Two Silver Star Medals, Two Legion of Merit Medals, three Bronze Star medals; one Purple heart, two Distinguished Unit Citations, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Cross of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (France); Croix de Guerre with Palm (France) and the Belgium Fourragere.

John and Charlotte bought a home in Fairfax, VA. In 1973 they moved to Phoenix, AZ, where their sons had settled. John Today is continuing to enjoy his retirement through his church, the First Christian, his many friends and his immense storehouse of memories.