Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer; Served U.S. as Soldier, Diplomat for 50 Years

Gen. Lyman Louis Lemnitzer, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and classic “old soldier” who served in command, advisory and diplomatic posts under eight Presidents, died Saturday in Washington at the age of 89.

Although he officially retired in 1969 while he was supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Lemnitzer was later appointed to panels that advised Presidents on diplomatic and military matters.

Upon his retirement, then-President Richard M. Nixon gave him the Distinguished Service Medals of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and last year President Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S. government’s highest civilian award. Lemnitzer also received awards from the governments of 15 nations.

Reagan Statement

The President and First Lady Nancy Reagan were were “saddened by the loss of Gen. Lemnitzer,” a White House press officer said Saturday.

Army Secretary John O. Marsh said Lemnitzer will be remembered “as a patriot, a valiant combat leader and a wise and capable statesman.”

The Army, which announced Lemnitzer’s death, gave no cause. Funeral services were scheduled for Tuesday at the Old Post Chapel at Ft. Myer, near the Pentagon. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lemnitzer, who was known as a quiet, thoughtful man, wore American military uniforms for more than half a century.

The son of a Homesdale, Pa., shoe company executive, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1920.

Varied Talents

In his military career, he gained a reputation as a bright and studious man who could teach philosophy--which he did briefly at West Point shortly after he graduated--and also hold his own on the athletic field. He won numerous marksmanship awards as a young officer and in 1940 pitched for the Army War College baseball team.

Years later, as the 51-year-old newly assigned commander of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, he quietly trained as a parachutist and met the Army’s qualifications.

In World War II, Lemnitzer accompanied Gen. Mark Clark on a top-secret mission to French North Africa that led to the Allies’ invasion of that region. Their party almost did not survive the 15,000-mile trip after they arrived in North Africa by submarine, and reportedly had to huddle in a wine cellar while barely escaping detection by suspicious Vichy police officers who were searching the house upstairs.

Later in the war, Lemnitzer helped plan the German surrender negotiations, along the way gaining a reputation as a gifted diplomat.

In 1955, after commanding combat troops in Korea, he was put in charge of the 8th Army and later, United Nations forces.

Staff Positions

After his stint as Far East commander, he was brought back to Washington where he served successively as Army vice chief of staff and chief of staff. He was chairman of the joint chiefs, the highest uniformed job in the Defense Department, from 1969 to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy named him NATO commander.

His life, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Carl E. Vuono said Saturday, “stands as eloquent testimony to the enduring value of a lifetime of service to country.”

Lemnitzer is survived by his widow, Katherine Mead Tryon Lemnitzer, a daughter and a son.