Richard Louis GRUENTHER

Dick Gruenther came from a military family and attended the US Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1946. His father, General Alfred Gruenther was Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1953-56. Dick Gruenther later earned a masters’ degree in science at Springfield College in 1952 and attended the National War College from 1965-66. He served in Japan from 1949-50 with the 11th Airborne. In the Korean War, he was a rifle company commander in combat at Inchon and again at Iwon, earning a battlefield promotion to captain, but he was seriously wounded which took him out of combat.

Gruenther was a physical education instructor at West Point (1952-55), in Ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia (1955-56), and was a director of military instruction at West Point from 1969-73. He also served as an instructor at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (1959-63), a regimental commander of the 32nd Infantry in Korea from 1963-64, was with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington from 1966-68, and had an infantry brigade command in Vietnam in 1968-69. He retired from military service in 1975, but became director of development at West Point for the Association of Graduates (AOG), and created the Planned Giving Program for the AOG, serving in those positions until 1989. His military decorations include two Silver Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, two combat Infantry Badges, 12 Air Medals, the Purple Heart and four Legion of Honor awards for peacetime work.