Omar Bradley facts for kids

Omar Bradley
Quick facts for kids General of the Army ; Omar Bradley
1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
	In office; August 19, 1949 – August 15, 1953
President	Harry Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	William D. Leahy; (as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief)
Succeeded by	Arthur W. Radford
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
	In office; February 7, 1948 – August 15, 1949
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Succeeded by	J. Lawton Collins
Administrator of Veterans Affairs
	In office; August 15, 1945 – November 30, 1947
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Frank T. Hines
Succeeded by	Carl R. Gray Jr.
Personal details
Born	Omar Nelson Bradley ; February 12, 1893; Clark, Missouri, U.S.
Died	April 8, 1981 (aged 88); New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Education	United States Military Academy (BS)
Signature
Military service
Nickname(s)	Brad; The G.I.'s General
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1915–1981
Rank	General of the Army
Commands	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Chief of Staff of the United States Army; 12th Army Group; First Army; II Corps; 28th Infantry Division; 82nd Infantry Division; United States Army Infantry School
Battles/wars	World War II; Korean War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Army Distinguished Service Medal (4); Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; Legion of Merit (2); Bronze Star Medal; Presidential Medal of Freedom; Complete list

Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, holding the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and oversaw the U.S. military's policy-making in the Korean War.

Born in Randolph County, Missouri, Bradley worked as a boilermaker before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from the academy in 1915 alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of "the class the stars fell on." During World War I, Bradley guarded copper mines in Montana. After the war, Bradley taught at West Point and served in other roles before taking a position at the War Department under General George Marshall. In 1941, Bradley became commander of the United States Army Infantry School.

After the U.S. entrance into World War II, Bradley oversaw the transformation of the 82nd Infantry Division into the first American airborne division. He received his first front-line command in Operation Torch, serving under General George S. Patton in North Africa. After Patton was reassigned, Bradley commanded II Corps in the Tunisia Campaign and the Allied invasion of Sicily. He commanded the First United States Army during the Invasion of Normandy. After the breakout from Normandy, he took command of the Twelfth United States Army Group, which ultimately comprised forty-three divisions and 1.3 million men, the largest body of American soldiers ever to serve under a single field commander.

After the war, Bradley headed the Veterans Administration. He was appointed as Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1948 and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949. In 1950, Bradley was promoted to the rank of General of the Army, becoming the last of the nine individuals promoted to five-star rank in the United States Armed Forces. He was the senior military commander at the start of the Korean War, and supported President Harry S. Truman's wartime policy of containment. He was instrumental in persuading Truman to dismiss General Douglas MacArthur in 1951 after MacArthur resisted administration attempts to scale back the war's strategic objectives. Bradley left active duty in 1953 (though remaining on "active retirement" for the next 27 years). He continued to serve in public and business roles until his death in 1981 at age 88.

Images for kids

Bradley, photographed at West Point
Lieutenant General Omar Bradley (left), Commanding General, U.S. First Army, listens as Major General J. Lawton Collins, Commanding General, US VII Corps, describes how the city of Cherbourg was taken. (c. June 1944)
Bradley (center) with Patton (left) and Montgomery (right) at 21st Army Group HQ, Normandy, July 7, 1944.
Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall (center) and Army Air Forces Commander General Henry H. Arnold confer with Bradley on the beach at Normandy in 1944.
General Omar Bradley, 1949
Portrait of Bradley
General Bradley's headstone in Arlington National Cemetery
Omar Bradley, General of the Army