Hugh F. Foster, Jr.

Major General, U.S. Army

Hugh F. Foster, Jr. was born on 2 March 1918.

After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1941, Foster joined the 4th Signal Company, 4th Infantry Division. His assignment was to train 17 Comanche soldiers as "code talkers" at Ft. Benning, GA. Because the Comanches have no written language, he kept a notebook of the code's phonetic spellings. He also had to translate modern military terms into the Comanche language to make those terms indecipherable to enemy forces.

The Comanche's served in Europe, and were among the first Allied troops landing in Normandy, France, on D-Day. Navajo code talkers served with U.S. Marines in the Pacific.

Foster served later in World War II in North Africa and Italy after leaving the Comanche's basic training. Later in life, he became an honorary member of the Comanche tribe and was given the name meaning "Telephone Red Sash," which referred to his code work and apparel of Army officers in the late 1800s.

Foster also taught electrical engineering at West Point and at the U.S. Naval Academy. Additionally, he led the 1st Signal Brigade in Vietnam.

He retired as a Major General.

Death and Burial

Major General Hugh F. Foster, Jr. died on 13 December 2004 at his home in Doylestown, PA. He is buried at the U.S. Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point, NY.