Hugh Joseph Gaffey
Major General, U.S. Army

Hugh Joseph Gaffey was born on 18 November 1895 in Hartford, CT.

Gaffey was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery Reserve on 15 August 1917. His first assignment was with the 312th Field Artillery at Fort Meade, MD. One year later, in August 1918 in WWI, he went to France and served there. Later he served in Germany and returned to the U.S. in August 1919.

Over the next twenty years he was stationed at several posts in the U.S., serving with the 15th and 18th Field Artillery and the 7th Cavalry Brigade in the 1920s and 1930s. In July 1940, he was assigned to the First Armored Corps.

Two years late in July 1942, he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to Brigadier General and sent to the European Theater later in the year. In April 1944, he was assigned as the Chief of Staff for General Patton's 3rd Army. In December 1944, he commanded the 4th Armored Division and led it through the German lines to rescue General McAuliffe and his men, who were encircled by German forces at Bastogne.

After the war, Major General Gaffey was assigned as the Commander of Fort Knox. He was killed in a B-25 crash as it attempted to land at Godman Airfield on Fort Knox.

Medals and Awards

Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal (2 Awards)

Death and Burial

Major General Hugh Joseph Gaffey died on 16 June 1946 at Fort Knox, KY. He is the highest ranking officer buried at the Fort Knox Post Cemetery in Fort Knox, KY.