Obit of McLeod, William E. - Comanche County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 9 Oct 2005 Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.html ========================================================================== McLeod, William E. Memorial service for MG (Retired) William E. McLeod, 84, Lawton will be at 10:00 AM Tuesday at New Post Chapel with Chaplain LTC (Retired) Mark Henry, Anchorage, Alaska officiating. General McLeod died Friday in a local hospital. A private burial with full Military honors will be at Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin under the direction of Becker Funeral Home. William E. McLeod was born April 25, 1921 at Granite, Oklahoma, the first- born child of Howard C. and Ruby (Easley) McLeod. His father, a World War I veteran who had been born in Indian Territory of pioneer parents, was an official at the state reformatory at Granite. His mother, until her marriage, had been a country school teacher near Granite. In 1931 his father was transferred to the state penitentiary at McAlester, where he later became warden, and his family accompanied him there. In 1937, Bill McLeod began his military career at McAlester when he enlisted in a "French 75" field artillery battery in the 45th Division, Oklahoma National Guard. His division was federalized in 1940 and called to active duty at Fort Sill. He elected to remain with his unit as a sergeant until he attended the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1942. Much later he became the first graduate of that school to achieve the rank of major general and was an early inductee into the FA OCS Hall of Fame. Eighteen years of his service had been overseas, including England and Central Europe during five campaigns of World War II. As a battery commander during that war he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and, except for two brief periods, was held prisoner by the Germans until near the war's end. He had served about 14 years as a troop commander, including two years in command of 24th Infantry Division Artillery in Germany, one year in command of III Corps Artillery at Fort Sill, and two years in command of VII Corps Artillery in Germany. On his final tour of duty he was assigned to Commander-in-Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) with headquarters in Hawaii. During his long career he received the Army's highest non-combat award, the Distinguished Service Medal, and three times was awarded the Legion of Merit; also a Bronze Star with 'v", the Purple Heart, the Joint Services Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Republic of Korea Cheon-Su Medal (Legion of Merit equivalent), and numerous other service medals and badges. Following retirement from the Army, he was appointed by Governor George Nigh as a member of the Oklahoma Board of Corrections where he served several years, and held the positions of Vice President and President. He was preceded in death by his first wife Dorothy (Davis), who died in Germany in 1966 after 26 years of marriage as well as his second wife Sylvia H. 'Dee" McLeod whom he married at Fort Sill in 1967 and who died January 4, 2002. He is survived by six children; Sherril, California, Patricia, North Carolina, Christie, New Zealand, Bryhn, Massachusetts, Leslie, Hawaii, and Lindee, Georgia, a brother: Jim McLeod, McAlester, a sister; June Henry, Florida, eleven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Sympathy cards may be sent to the family online at www.beckerfuneral.com. Published in The Oklahoman on 8/29/2005. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html