Francis William Farrell
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Francis William Farrell was born on 28 May 1900 in Chicago, IL.

Military Career

He attended the U.S. Military Academy from 14 June 1918 to 1 July 1920. Farrell received a Regular Army commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry on 2 July 1920. He completed the Infantry School Basic Course in 1921. Farrell then served in several Infantry assignments, including postings to Hawaii and China.

Farrell transferred to the Field Artillery on 7 July 1926, and he completed the Field Artillery Officer Course in 1928.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Farrell was an instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1939, and then served as an Instructor at the Field Artillery School until 1943.

From 1943-44, Farrell served in Europe as Chief of Staff of the 11th Airborne Division. He then commanded the 11th Airborne Division Artillery in 1944-45.

After World War II, Farrell remained in Europe as Commander of the 13th Airborne Division Artillery. In mid-1946, Farrell was named Chief of Staff of the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in this assignment for only a few months before being appointed as Chief of the Air Branch at Army Ground Forces, where he remained from late 1946 until 1948. Farrell was named Director of the Technical Training Group at Sandia Missile Base, NM, in 1948.

During 1950-51, Farrell was Commander of the Korean Military Advisory Group, responsible for training and logistical support to the fledgling South Korean Army. In 1952, Farrell was assigned as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, U.S. Army, where he served until 1953.

Major General Farrell was Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1953-55. In 1955, he was assigned as Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, advising the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On 17 August 1957, Farrell became Commanding General of V Corps where he served until 31 March 1959. Later in '59, Farrell was assigned as Commanding General of the Seventh U.S. Army. He remained in that post until he reached retirement age in 1960, at which time he retired from active duty.

Medals and Awards

Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with Award Numeral 2
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal

In Retirement

After retiring from the Army, Farrell was appointed as New York State's Civil Defense Director, where he served from 1961 to 1963. After retiring from that job, Farrell resided in Arlington, VA.

Death and Burial

Lieutenant General Francis William Farrell died on 27 January 1981 at age 80. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.