John C. Arrowsmith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Caraway Arrowsmith
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| Born | June 4, 1894 Reno, Nevada |
| Died | June 1, 1985 (aged 90) Asheville, North Carolina |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal |
John Caraway Arrowsmith (born June 4, 1894 – died June 1, 1985) was an important leader in the United States Army. He became a Brigadier General. He was part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which builds things for the army.
During World War II, General Arrowsmith led the 45th Engineers. They worked in the China-Burma-India area. This was a very challenging place to build roads and other structures.
Early Military Career
John Arrowsmith started his army career in 1918. He became a second lieutenant. In 1919, he was promoted to first lieutenant. He worked at different army bases. These included Camp Fremont in California and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
He also worked on engineering projects. For example, he was part of the Cincinnati Engineer District. In 1933, he became a captain. He worked in Washington, D.C. for several years. Later, he moved to the Missouri River Division. He continued to rise in rank. He became a major in 1940 and a lieutenant colonel in 1942.
Building the Ledo Road
In 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Arrowsmith went to Camp Blanding, Florida. He took command of the 45th Engineer General Service Regiment. In November 1942, he and his troops traveled to India.
In India, Arrowsmith was put in charge of Base Section 3 in Ledo, Assam. His main job was to build the Ledo Road. This road was very important. It helped supply Allied forces fighting in Burma. Under his leadership, the road reached the Patkai mountains. It then crossed into Burma.
Building the Ledo Road was very difficult. There were many challenges. Other projects, like building airfields, sometimes took away resources. Because of these challenges, another leader, Lewis A. Pick, took over as Chief Road Engineer in October 1943. However, Arrowsmith still commanded the 45th Engineer Regiment.
In July 1943, Arrowsmith was temporarily promoted to brigadier general. But he returned to his rank of colonel in January 1944.
After World War II
In February 1944, Colonel Arrowsmith joined the XXI Corps. He served as the Corps Engineer. He went with these troops to France and Germany.
After the war, from 1945 to 1947, he worked for the U.S. military government in Germany. From 1948 to 1949, he was the commanding officer. He led the Engineer Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Belvoir.
In November 1949, he received his last assignment. He became a Deputy Chief in the Army Security Agency. John Arrowsmith retired from the military in May 1953. He retired as a brigadier general.
He passed away in 1985. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Nell B. Arrowsmith, is buried there with him.
Awards and Honors
General Arrowsmith received several important awards for his service. These included:
- Legion of Merit (twice)
- Bronze Star Medal
- World War I Victory Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with three service stars)
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with one service star)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Army of Occupation Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm from France
