Irwin, Stafford LeRoy.

Irwin, Stafford LeRoy, born 23-03-1893 at Fort Monroe, Virginia. First, from the family with long military tradition. He was the son of Army Major General of the Artillery, George LeRoy Irwin  who died age 62, on 19-02-1931 and his grandfather was a Brigadier General of the United States Army Medical Corps, Bernard J. D. Irwin   , who was recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor and died old age 87, on 15-12-1917. Between World War I and World War II, Stafford Irwin held a variety of positions. He was a professor of Military Science and Tactics, Yale University, from 1919 to 1920. He served as an instructor to the Oklahoma National Guard from 1920 to 1924. He spent the period of 1929 to 1933 as an instructor at the Field Artillery School. Irwin was assigned to the Organized Reserves from 1933 to 1936. He attended the Military Academy at West Point, after which, was commissioned as 2^nd Lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of the Army on the 12-06-1915. His class had many famous members, many of whom went on to high rank. Because of the achievements of many of its members, the USMA class of 1915 is known as “the class the stars fell on”. General, Omar “Brad” Bradley, General, Joseph McNarney, Lieutenant General, Hubert Reilly Harmon, Lieutenant General, Henry S. Aurand, Major General,  Vernon Prichard  who died age 57, on 10-07-1949, in Washington D.C. and Major General, Henry Benton Sayler. He served with the cavalry under command of General John Pershing during Pancho Villa Expedition as a member of the 11^th Cavalry, nickname “The Black Horse Regiment”  in 1916 and the following year, he was transferred to the Field Artillery School at Fort Still, where he attended an artillery training and then was promoted to a gunnery instructor. Erwin was a Lieutenant General of the United States Army. Stafford Irwin was the commander of artillery for the 9^th Infantry Division, nickname “Old Reliables”  in North Africa, under Major General, Manto S. Eddy. Irwin was noted for performing well during the Battle of Kasserine Pass . In 264 days in combat the division had killed 4.581, wounded 16.961, missing 750, captured 868, battle casualties 22.292, non-battle casualties 15.233, a total casualties of 33.864. Following the North Africa Campaign he was given command of the 5^th Infantry Division, nickname “”Red Diamond Division”  during George Smith Patton’s drive across Europe. The 5^th Division was activated on 11-12-1917 at Camp Logan, near Houston, Texas The entire division had arrived in France by 01-05-1918 and components of the units were deployed into the front line. The Division spent 270 days in combat and sustained 2.083 soldiers killed, 9.278 wounded, 1.073 missing, with 101 soldiers captured. General Stafford would finish the war as the commander of the XII Corps  and serve in that position until September 1945. XII Corps is credited with service in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns. Headquarters, XII Corps, was inactivated on 15-12-1945 in Germany. Total casualties incurred during the seven months period of combat 2 officers killed, enlisted men 23, 11 officers wounded, 127 men wounded. After the war, Irwin returned to the United States and became commander of V Corps in 1946 and director of the Military Intelligence Division in 1948. He finished his military career as the commander of U.S. Army forces in Austria from 1950 to 1952.

Death and burial ground of Irwin, Stafford LeRoy.

He retired in 1952 due to medical problems. Lieutenant General Stafford Irwin died, age 62, on 23-11-1955 of a coronary occlusion in Asheville, North Carolina. Irwin was married in 1921 to Helen (Hall) Agnes Irwin and together they had one son, Francis LeRoy. After Helen died in 1937, age 44, Irwin remarried in 1941 to Clare, born Moran, Irwin. His second marriage also produced a son. Stafford Irwin is buried, with his first wife Helen on Arlington National Cemetery, Section 7.

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