Francis Grevemberg - Military Record

Military Record

A decorated United States Army officer in World War II, Grevemberg served twenty-eight months in the European Theater of operations. He made five amphibious landings and participated in nine combat campaigns. He went overseas as a captain commanding an anti-aircraft artillery battery in the 1st Infantry Division. He received a combat promotion from General George S. Patton, Jr., to the rank of major in Tunisia, and five months later, at the age of twenty-nine, during the beachhead campaign in Sicily, he received a second combat promotion, to the rank of lieutenant colonel, from General Omar N. Bradley.

In 1951, Grevemberg was promoted for a third time, to the rank of colonel, and became the group commander of the 204th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group of the Louisiana Army National Guard. He returned to active duty during the Berlin Wall crisis in 1961. His previous command was changed to the 204th Transportation (Truck) Battalion of the state National Guard, which was temporarily stationed at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

During his military service, Grevemberg received the Soldier's Medal for Heroism, the Legion of Merit for outstanding performance during the invasion at Anzio, the Croix de Guerre with silver gilt star awarded by the French government for exceptional war services rendered in the liberation of France, the Army Commendation Medal, the Italian Military Valor Cross, the European-African Middle Eastern Medal with nine bronze campaign stars, and a bronze arrowhead signifying participation in five amphibious landings against the Axis powers.