Joseph Warren "Cider Joe" Stilwell, Jr.
Brigadier General, U.S. Army

Joseph Warren Stilwell, Jr. was born on 6 March 1912 in New York. His father was U.S. Army four-star General Joseph W. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell Sr. of World War II China-Burma-India Theater fame.

Stilwell was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy from California, and graduated with the Class of 1933. During World War II, he served as the Theater G-2, at his father's Headquarters, CBI Theater, and was subsequently promoted to Colonel in 1944.

During the Korean War, he served as the Commander, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He became the Deputy Commanding General, 18th Airborne Corps, from 1959-61, and was a Brigade Commander at Fort Devens, MA, 1961-62.

From 1962-64, he was the Commanding General, U.S. Army Support Group, Vietnam, and was made the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center from 1964-65. In 1965, he became its Commanding General.

On 25 July 1966, BG Stilwell was flying a C-47 from California to Hawaii with longtime friend and pilot Hal Grimes of Air Ferry International. Harold Fossum was the navigator. Although the C-47's planned final destination was Thailand; Stilwell was traveling only as far as Hawaii. The purpose of the trip was to increase his instrument rating qualifications. It is estimated that the plane went down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 585 miles west of San Francisco, CA. The United States Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy (including the USS Yorktown (CV-10) and 3 destroyers) searched an area of 105,000 square miles without finding any trace of the aircraft.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross
Soldier's Medal
Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device
Bronze Star Medal (Merit) with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with Award Numeral 26
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge

Distinguished Flying Cross Citation (Synopsis)

Brigadier General Joseph Warren Stilwell, Jr. (ASN: 0-19117), United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while serving as Commanding General, U.S. Army Support Group, Vietnam.

General Orders: United States Military Academy Register of Graduates

Soldier's Medal Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier's Medal to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Joseph Warren Stilwell, Jr. (ASN: 0-19117), United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy at East Station, Tientsin, China, 29 July 1937. In conjunction with the movement of the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry, from Camp Burrowes, Chinwangtao, China, to American Barracks, Tientsin, China, a freight car carrying machine guns, ammunition, and other valuable United States Government property, arrived in the railroad freight yard at East Station, Tientsin, China, at the time Chinese and Japanese troops were engaged in battle for possession of that station. A guard of enlisted men which was posted in the freight car was isolated and cut off from all outside communication. Lieutenant Stilwell was in charge of the trucks of a detachment which removed the guard and property from the freight car to the American compound. During this operation, Lieutenant Stilwell, and the detachment of which he was a member were subjected to sporadic rifle, machine-gun, and infantry mortar fire and were exposed to bombs from airplanes engaged in the bombing of nearby buildings. By his heroic conduct in face of danger Lieutenant Stilwell aided materially in preventing the possible loss of human life and the destruction of Government property.

General Orders: Decorations U.S. Army 1862 - 1926, Supplement 2 (1939)

Death and Burial

Brigadier General Joseph Warren Stilwell, Jr. died in a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean on 25 July 1966. A cenotaph for Stilwell is located at the U.S. Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point, NY.