Kenneth F. Cramer was born in 1894.
General Cramer began his military career in 1917 when he attended Officers’ Training Camp and was subsequently commissioned a second lieutenant on August 15, 1917.
During the First World War he saw action in St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, where he was wounded in action and taken as a prisoner of war.
After the war, he joined the Officers’ Reserve Corps; appointed Captain, Connecticut National Guard in 1931. Entered Federal service with the 43d Infantry Division as a colonel; transferred to the 24th Infantry Division and promoted to Brigadier General and Assistant Division Commander in 1942.
During World War II, General Cramer received the Silver Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Air Medal, and was made division commander in 1945.
Following the war he commanded the 43d Infantry Division, 1946-47. His term as Chief, National Guard Bureau was marked by controversy with the Director, Air National Guard; following an investigation by the Inspectors General of the Army and the Air Force, General Cramer asked to be relieved so that he could command the 43d Division as it was called into Federal service in 1950 for the Korean War.
General Cramer died in 1954 and was buried with full military honors in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery. He wife, Ruth Rose Fuller Cramer (1893-1991) is buried with him.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard