Herbert Jay Brees
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Herbert Jay Brees was born in Laramie, WY, on 12 June 1877. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS degree in 1897 and earned his LLD in 1939.

Brees was appointed a First Lieutenant, 2nd United States Volunteer Cavalry, on 27 May 1898, served at Fort D.A. Russed (later Fort Francis E. Warren, later Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, WY). On 22 June 1898, he was transferred with his regiment to Panama Park, FL. He was discharged from the U.S. Volunteers on 28 July 1898 in order to accept an appointment as a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army.

He served with the 2nd Artillery at Tampa, Florida until 4 August 1898, when he accompanied Battery K of that regiment to Fort Constitution, NH, commanding it until 24 November 1898. He was transferred to the 4th Artillery at that same station and commanded Battery M. On 14 April 1899, he joined Troop G, 9th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Apache, AZ, until the 9th Cavalry was ordered to the Philippines during the Spanish-American War.

Lieutenant Brees returned to the U.S. on 1 October 1901 where he was assigned to the 12th Cavalry at Fort Sam Houston, TX. He departed for the General Service and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, on 5 June 1902 and graduated as an honor graduate on 24 June 1903. He also attended the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1903 and was its Honor Graduate.

1LT Brees served with the Signal Corps at Fort Myer, VA, until 18 December 1903 and was then assigned to the Office of the Chief Signal Officer in Washington, DC. On 24 February 1904 he was assigned to Company G, Signal Corps, at Fort Hood, NY. After his promotion to Captain on 30 November 1904, he attended the Army Staff College at Fort Leavenworth until 1 July 1905.

Captain Brees commanded Troop M, 1st Cavalry, at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Clark, TX, until 2 July 1906, when he became Chief Signal Officer, Maneuver Camp of Instruction, Austin, TX, and served until 6 September 1906. He then returned to duty with Troop M, 1st Cavalry, at Fort Clark. He attended the Army War Collegein Washington, DC, from October 1906 until November 1907. After graduation, he rejoined Troop M, 1st Cavalry, in San Francisco and sailed with it to the Philippine Islands on 5 December 1907.

After arriving in the Philippines on 7 January 1908, Captain Brees served at Camp Stotsenburg. On 5 June 1910, he returned to the U.S. via Europe and served at Fort Ethan Allen, VT, in connection with the selection of a cavalry rifle team, until 19 July 1910. Captain Brees then rejoined Troop M, 1st Cavalry, at the Presidio of San Francisco, and served there until 27 September 1910, and then at Fort Duchesne, UT, until 3 December 1911. Part of the time, from 5 November 1910 until 3 December 1911, he was Acting Indian Agent, Uintah and Omay Agencies.

From December 1911 until September 1914, Captain Brees served as Aide-de-Camp to Major General Arthur Murray, Headquarters Western Division, San Francisco, CA. Captain Brees was again ordered to the Philippine Islands in October 1914, and served with the 7th and 9th Cavalry at Camp Stotsenburg. Returning to the United States in October 1916, he served on border duty at Glenn Springs, TX, until 16 April 1917.

World War I

On 26 August 1917, now-Lieutenant Colonel Brees became Chief of Staff of the 91st Division at Camp Lewis, WA. In this assignment he was promoted to the temporary rank of Colonel on 16 February 1918. During that time he went to France on a tour of observation and later accompanied the Division to Camp Merritt, NJ. Colonel Brees and the 91st Division sailed for France on 28 June 1918. From 22 October 1918 until 14 June 1919, he served as Chief of Staff, VII Army Corps, AEF, and American Forces in Germany. During part of that time, from 27 October to 20 November 1918, he was Acting Commander of the VII Army Corps.

Between the World Wars

After a brief stint as Range Officer, Inter-Allied Rifle and Pistol Competition, Belgian Camp, Le Mans, France, Colonel Brees returned to the U.S. on 6 July 1919, where he served as an instructor in the Army Service Schools at Fort Leavenworth. While there, on 13 August 1919 he reverted to his permanent grade of Lieutenant Colonel. On 31 December 1919 he became Director of the School of the Line and was promoted to Colonel in the Regular Army on 1 July 1920. He became Director of the Command and General Staff School on 30 June 1922 and served until 24 July 1923. Colonel Brees took command of the 11th Cavalry and Post, Presidio of Monterey, CA, on 12 September 1923, where he served until 10 June 1925. He was then assigned to duty as Assistant Commandant, General Service Schools, Fort Leavenworth, until 29 June 1929.

He was then Corps Area Inspector, Ninth Corps Area, with headquarters at San Francisco, to 24 February 1930, at which time he was assigned as Assistant Commandant, Army War College, until 29 October 1930. On 1 November 1930, he was promoted to Brigadier General. After taking short courses at the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, OK, and at the Air Corps Tactical School, Langley Field, VA, he assumed command of the 13th Field Artillery Brigade Post and 87th Division Organization Reserves at Fort Bragg, NC.

On 4 February 1934, he became Commandant of the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth and also was in charge of the Missouri District of the CCC. He was promoted to Major General on 1 June 1936 and assumed command of the 2nd Division at Fort Sam Houston on 2 July 1936 and, on 1 October, he became Commanding General, Eighth Corps Area.

World War II

In 1940, Brees served as Chief Controller for the U.S. military's large-scale training maneuvers in Louisiana, and played an important role in changing the tactics and strategy used in Europe during World War II by showing that the tendency of mechanized units to use road networks during maneuver made them vulnerable to blitzkrieg style attacks by an enemy that left the roads and used the terrain to its advantage. Lieutenant General Brees commanded the Third United States Army from October 1940 until he reached mandatory retirement age in May 1941.

Post-Military Life

After his retirement from the Army, Brees served as President of the National Bank of Fort Sam Houston.

Medals and Awards

Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star Medal
World War I Victory Medal
French Legion of Honor

Honors

The Regional Airport at Laramie, WY, was built in 1934 and originally named Brees Field in his honor. During World War II, Brees Field was the destination for B-24 bombers that brought crews to the University of Wyoming recreation camp in the Snowy Range for rest and recuperation.

Death and Burial

Lieutenant General Brees Herbert Jay Brees died in San Antonio, TX, on 22 December 1958. He is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.