George Grunert

George Grunert (July 21, 1881 – January 12, 1971) was a United States Army cavalry officer who worked his way up through the ranks from private to retirement as a lieutenant general.

During the American build up, he served as assistant chief of staff for I Corps and was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his work during the United States offensives of 1918.

With remarkable skill, constantly displaying zeal and high military attainments, Lieutenant Colonel Grunert performed his exacting duties as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, of the 1st Corps, during the successive operations at Chateau-Thierry, on the Ourcq and Vesle, and in the St. Mihiel and Argonne-Meuse offensives.

Grunert held interim command over the First Army until January 1944 while Lieutenant General Omar Bradley completed assembling and staffing its new headquarters in England for the Normandy landings.

In June 1944, Grunert was appointed by Secretary of War Henry Stimson as the presiding officer of a secret panel that investigated the army response to events prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Pearl Harbor Board report, released after the war, traced the entire military and diplomatic history prior to the attack finding much fault along the way, critical of break downs in communications between Secretary of State Cordell Hull, George C. Marshall and a failure of appropriate action by Hawaiian Department commander, Walter C. Short.

Grunert died at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, on January 12, 1971, at age 89 and was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Lieutenant General George Grunert pins the Legion of Merit on Major General Daniel Van Voorhis at Fort Hayes , Ohio , May 1944.