Gen. Collins, Veteran of D-Day, Dies at Age 91

J. Lawton Collins, one of the last surviving generals who led American forces in World War II, has died of cardiac arrest at his home. He was 91.

The New Orleans native and former Army chief of staff had his first military service with the occupation forces in Germany after World War I.

He won the nickname “Lightning Joe” when he commanded a division early in World War II on Guadalcanal. Due to his record there, then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower selected him to lead one of the two Army Corps that landed at Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. His VII Corps, part of Gen. Omar Bradley’s 1st Army, then led the breakout from Normandy at St. Lo.

Bradley later called him “one of the most outstanding field commanders in Europe” for his leadership in battles across France, Belgium and Germany.

‘Words of Praise’

When he received the Silver Star for achievement at Guadalcanal, one of his many honors, the accompanying citation said Collins “walked through some 800 yards of recently captured ground infested with enemy snipers. . . . His example and the words of praise and encouragement with which he continually encouraged the men . . . contributed materially to the success of the offensive operations.”

After the war, he was deputy commanding general and chief of staff of the Army Ground Forces, director of information of the War Department, deputy chief of staff and vice chief of staff.

President Harry S. Truman named him to succeed Bradley as the Army chief of staff in 1949 after Bradley became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the tumultuous period leading up to Truman’s decision to relieve Gen. Douglas MacArthur from command in the Far East, MacArthur communicated with the Administration in Washington through Collins.

Collins’ tenure as Army chief of staff ended in August, 1953. During the next two years, before his retirement from the Army in 1956, his posts included service as special envoy to Vietnam.

Served on Pfizer Board

In 1957, he became vice chairman of the board of Pfizer International subsidiaries, and in 1984 he was President Reagan’s personal representative at the Normandy ceremonies commemorating the 40th anniversary of D-Day.

In addition to the Silver Star, his honors included the Distinguished Service Medal plus two Oak Leaf Clusters and an Oak Leaf Cluster added to the Silver Star. His foreign honors include the British Companion of the Order of the Bath; Russian Order of Suvorov, second class; French Legion of Honor, Degree of Office; and Belgian Order of Leopold II, Grand Officer.

Collins, the 10th of 11 children, was born May 1, 1896, the son of an Irish native who had joined the Union Army at age 16. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1917.

He married the former Gladys Easterbrook in 1921. She survives him, along with a son, retired Army Col. Joseph E. Collins of Lewiston, Ida.; two daughters, Gladys Stenger of Potomac, Md., and Nancy Rubino, of Bethesda, Md.; 17 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

He was buried Wednesday with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.