I voted for 'other'. I mean, i thought this was an AH site.
General Joseph Steele (b. Dec 1878, b. Mar 1953)
The epitome of the American Dream, this immigrant from Imperial Russia rose to become the most successful General of his era and an hero to his adopted country.
Arriving with is family in New York in 1896, they soon moved to Michigan. Young Joseph soon realised he did not want to continue with his religious studies now he was in the land of opportunity.
Joining the army in 1897, he soon found action in the Spanish-American War. Displaying courage and valour in battle he won the Medal of Honor for his deeds. He gained a battlefield promotion to Second Lieutenant in 1899.
Whilst in Cuba, the young Steele became close friends with a colonel Theodore Roosevelt. It was a friendship which propelled the young immigrant on a course he count never have imagined studying theology in sleepy Tbilisi.
Following President Roosevelts declaration of war against the Central Powers in 1915, the newly minted Major Steele proved himself a hero in the battle of Ypres. A string of heroics throughout the war, with what some described as ‘presidential favour’ aided his advancement.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1916 by the lame-duck President Roosevelt to howls of cronyism. Although not as close to the Clark administration Joseph Steele ended the war with the rank of Brigadier-General.
Following the war the General became a champion of reform within the armed forces. Due to his disfavour with the administration and his general abrasive nature his efforts were left largely unheard much like Billy Mitchell.
Although out of favour with the administrations of Clark, La Follette and Hoover, the general maintained a complex system of alliances with both politicians and fellow officers.
During the Dupont scandal of 1932 he quickly established himself as a reformer. He quickly established a series of trials which purged the army of its disloyal elements. His actions and general public approval led the administration to promote him to Major-General.
His vociferous opposition to the newly elected Chancellor Hitler was a major factor in the American declaration of war against the Axis powers in 1940. The same year he was promoted to General.
A man of direct action, the war allowed the general to direct all the energy he had been building up since the last war. Directing forces during the battle of Bordeaux, he was instrumental in turning back the German advance.
His actions during the war are well known; the stuff of legends, ending in Warsaw, with what would become the most iconic picture of the war, Soviet and Allied troops meeting over the Vistula in late 1943.
It’s widely believed that Steeles rabid anti-authoritarianism was the impetus for Bukhanins back down during the post war conference in Tripoli. With the Soviets hedged in, for the time begin; General Steele announced his retirement in late 1946, but not before overseeing the successful integration of the armed forces.
Although courted by both parties to run for president in 1948, the general stated he found fighting fellow Americans unpatriotic, even ideologically. This statement lead to the era of consensus politics for the next 25 years.
Joseph Steele died in Mar 1953, he was buried in his adopted hometown of St. Petersburg, Mo. He was survived by his daughter Holly.