Shelton E. Lollis – Major General, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

Shelton E. “Cotton” Lollis, 87, a retired Army Major General and ordnance expert who was a consultant from 1978 to the early 1990s for Inmark Associates Inc., a Bethesda-based exporter of military equipment, died May 24, 2002, at Inova Alexandria Hospital. He had sepsis and congestive heart failure.

He lived in Bethesda from 1978 to the early 1990s, when he moved to the Fairfax military retirement community at Fort Belvoir.

General Lollis commanded Army logistics in Vietnam in 1967 during a massive troop buildup there. He also was commander from 1967 until retiring in 1971 of the Army’s tank and military vehicle depot in Warren, Michigan.

General Lollis, a native of Holdenville, Oklahoma, served as an ordnance officer in North Africa and Europe during World War II. In the 1950s, he was a technical adviser during the early days of the Army’s guided missile program.

In the early 1960s, he was president of the Army Ordnance Board, which later became the Army Material Command Board.

While in Vietnam, General Lollis took direct control of troubled depots to ensure that the flow of supplies was uninterrupted.

Among his decorations were two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He also was inducted into the Army Ordnance Hall of Fame in 1994.

At the Fairfax community, General Lollis served as chairman of a health care committee and worked to improve residents’ access to Army pharmaceuticals.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Ruth Lollis of Fairfax; two children, Stuart, of Edgartown, Massachusetts, and Helen Hall of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and four grandchildren.

LOLLIS, SHELTON E., MG, US ARMY (Ret.)

On May 24, 2002, in Alexandria, Virginia. Survived by his wife of 62 years, Ruth H. Lollis. Also survived by son, Stuart H. (Mary) Lollis; daughter, Helen (Richard) Hall; four grandchildren, S. Scott Lollis, Kristen Lawrence Lollis, Stacey Elizabeth Hall and Lindsay Jean Hall. Funeral service at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel, on July 22, at 1 p.m. with interment following in Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall St., Alexandria, Virginia 22332-0600.

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