George Grunert
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

George Grunert was born of German immigrants on 21 July 1881 in White Haven, PA.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and served in the Philippines, Cuba, and western posts in his early career. As a Quartermaster Sergeant in an artillery unit at Fort Monroe, VA, he obtained a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry in 1901. He was stationed in Cuba in 1908 and at Fort Oglethorpe, GA, a cavalry post, in 1910.

Grunert was sent to France as an observer with British forces in 1917, during World War I. During the American buildup for the War, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff for I Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work during the American offensives of 1918.

In 1919, he attended the Army War College at Washington Barracks, (now Fort Lesley J. McNair), in Washington, DC. He served with the 1st Infantry Division at Camp Dix, NJ, and then served in the office of the Army Chief of Staff in Washington, DC. He returned to the field as a Lieutenant Colonel of the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Huachuca, AZ, in 1925.

After a second tour of duty in the office of the Army Chief of Staff, Grunert attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, KS, from 1930-32. He was the Director of Military Intelligence and Espionage Division Course at the Army War College in 1933, and became Director of the War Plans Division Course in 1935.

He was posted to the Philippines as Commanding Officer of the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) in 1936. He received a promotion to Brigadier General in December 1936 in preparation for his command of the 23rd Brigade; a brigade of the Philippine Division composed of Philippine Scouts.

In November 1938, Grunert succeeded George C. Marshall in command of 5th Brigade at Vancouver Barracks, WA. Grunert was promoted to Major General in 1939, and in October returned to the Philippines to command the Philippine Division. Grunert commanded the Philippine Department from May 1940 to November 1941, directing the U.S. Army supervision and control over the Philippine Defense Force until Douglas MacArthur came out of retirement to command the PDF in July 1941. MacArthur abolished the Philippine Department as a redundant command echelon in November 1941 and Grunert returned to the U.S.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred shortly after Grunert reached the U.S., and he was shuffled between a number of assignments that included command of the Sixth Service Command at Fort Sheridan, IL, serving as the ranking military officer in the Chicago area, and two administrative posts with Army Service Forces as Deputy Chief of Staff for Service Commands (Service of Supply) overseeing the nine US-based supply and logistics commands (formerly corps areas), under General Brehon B. Somervell.

In August 1943, he was appointed Deputy Commander for both the Eastern Defense Command, a continental defense command for the eastern U.S., and the First Army at Fort Jay on Governors Island, NY, replacing General Hugh A. Drum who reached his mandatory retirement age of 64 in October 1943.

Grunert held interim command over First Army until January 1944, while Omar N. Bradley completed assembling and staffing its new headquarters in England for the Normandy Invasion. Grunert continued command of Eastern Defense Command, which also assumed the duties of Central Defense Command, and Second Service Command for the New York area until his retirement in July 1945.

Pearl Harbor Investigation

In June 1944, Secretary of War Henry Stimson appointed Grunert as the presiding officer of a secret panel that investigated the Army response to events prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Pearl Harbor Board report, released after the war, traced the entire military and diplomatic history prior to the attack, finding much fault along the way. The report was critical of breakdowns in communications between Secretary of State Cordell Hull and George C. Marshall, and an omission of appropriate action by Hawaiian Department Commander, Walter C. Short. The panel's method of investigation, and its conclusions, are still subject to criticism today.

Medals and Awards

Army Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit
Purple Heart
Spanish Campaign Medal
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
Army of Cuban Pacification Medal
Mexican Border Service Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Occupation of Germany World War I Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal

Death and Burial

Lieutenant General George Grunert died on 12 January 1971 at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, TX, at age 89. He is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

He was survived by his wife Florence Reynolds Grunert, daughter Mary and son-in-law, then U.S. First Army Commander, Lieutenant General Jonathan O. Seaman at Fort Meade, MD. His son, Colonel George R. Grunert (1908–1969), attended the U.S. Military Academy, graduating with the class of 1930 and played on the Army polo team. He was a veteran of World War II and Korea and preceded his father in death.