George Everett Sylvester – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

Submitted by his son, John B. Sylvester, Lieutenant General,
United States Army: August 2003

“My Dad, George Everett Sylvester, was born 31 August, 1913 in Ludlow, Vermont.

“He enlisted in the Vermont National Guard in 1932. In 1939 or 1940, I believe, he went to OTS and was commissioned. He served on active duty from then until 31 October 1960 when he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

“During World War II he served with the 95th Infantry Division, “The Iron Men of Metz” as the Commander of K Company, 378th Infantry. He was severely wounded at Metz, and later after rejoining the unit was again wounded near Hamm in North Central, Germany.

“Following the war, he was a member of the Constabulary Forces in Austria and Germany. He later commanded a 155 Air Defense Gun Battalion around New York City with Headquarters at Fort Totten, New York. He later served in Korea during the period 1956-57. Returning from Korea, he went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he finished his military career as the Deputy Inspector General of the 4th U.S. Army.

“His awards and decorations include two awards of the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and two awards of the Purple Heart Medal.

“After military retirement he served for 26 years as consecutively a U.S. Customs Officer in Brownsville, Texas, and later as the Port of Brownsville Documentation Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard. He retired from civil service in 1986 with over 54 years of Federal Service to our Nation.

“He died of cancer on 5 November 1995 and was buried at Arlington a few days later. He is buried in Section 4, but I do not have at hand the row and plot number. He is buried within eyeshot of his daughter (my sister) and her husband, an Air Force Captain who were killed in an automobile accident in April of 1969. (NOTE: See remembrance for Captain Donald C. Luckhardt, United States Air Force).

“My Mother, still living at 83 is in Brownsville, Texas.

“I hope this is sufficient information for his name to occupy a space in your remembrance of the many warriors, heroes and sometimes just fine American patriots whose mortal remains slumber in that most beautiful of places, Arlington.”

Michael Robert Patterson

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