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Brigadier General Elvin R. Heiberg II - Embroidered Theatre-Made Ribbon Rack


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Embroidered theater made ribbon set Brigadier General Elvin R. Heiberg II. He was an Engineer Colonel in WWII and then a professor at West Point. The bar is clutch back on a white background, with bullion campaign stars, invasion arrowhead, and a Legion of Merit. The photo of him in the third photo is from the internet and no hard copy is included. His bio from the USMA AOG is below:

 

Elvin Ragnvald Heiberg II was born to LT and Mrs. E. R. Heiberg at Ft. Meade, SD, youngest of the Heibergs three "Army brats." Raised in the Philippines while his father was a province governor, "Vald" also lived in Texas and then in Rome, Italy, while his father served as the military attache and was killed in an accident along the Austro-Italian front lines just weeks before the United States entered WWI.

Valds widowed mother assembled the family back in the Washington, DC, area. He spent his high school years at the Westminster School in Connecticut, then earned an appointment to West Point and joined the Class of 26. Vald was "King of the Beasts" (cadet commander of the initial training of the Class of 29), and graduated near the head of his class. He joined the Corps of Engineers, serving in that branch for 23 years.

After early troop duty at Camp Humphreys (later Ft. Belvoir), VA, he attended Cornell to earn a civil engineering degree. There he met his future wife Evelyn Lytle, who was studying for her masters in English. In 1929 Vald was assigned to Schofield Barracks, HI, where Evelyn birthed their first child Elvin R. III. Vald joined the Corps of Engineers, Huntington, WV, District in 1934, working on the Ohio Rivers immense lock and dam program, while Evelyn became West Virginias womens singles tennis champion. Valds next assignment was to West Point, spending four years there, first teaching engineering then serving on the superintendents staff. William Lytle, the Heibergs second son, was added to the family.

Eighteen months before U.S. entry into WWII, Vald was assigned to Langley Field, VA, where he helped form the first Army Aviation Engineer unit. While there, he teamed with Coast Guard and Navy officers to reconnoiter and select airfields in Greenland that would allow the U.S. to ferry thousands of aircraft to our Allies.

In the summer of 1941, the Heiberg family moved to March Field, CA, where MAJ Heiberg organized and trained the 808th Aviation Engineer Battalion. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor that December, Vald moved the 808th almost immediately to San Francisco and then on to Australiathe first Army unit to join the Pacific forces after the war began. Vald was soon promoted to a colonel on GEN MacArthurs staff, serving as an engineer while the Pacific forces began their "leapfrog strategy" against the Japanese. Vald was deeply involved in selecting, designing, and building the various airfields across the Pacific that made such a strategy possible.

He returned briefly to the States for Pentagon duty but soon rejoined MacArthurs forces in the Philippines for the invasion of Japan. The quick and blessed end of the war through the use of the first atomic bombs changed Valds duty to occupation matters, still with GEN MacArthur. Meanwhile, Evelyn gave birth to their third "Army brat," Dorethe Ann, in 1945. Vald rejoined the family in Washington, DC, and, in 1947, the family moved to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. Vald served on the faculty of the Command and General Staff School, later known as the Command and General Staff College.

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Trumans nomination of Vald to be professor of mechanics at West Point in 1949. He began his lastand longestassignment, heading the department of mechanics and serving on the academic board for two decades. Vald III became a cadet the same year while Bill and Dorethe enjoyed the stability of maturing at West Point. Vald, Sr., chaired key Academy groups: Athletic Board, Honor Review Committee, and the Cadet Chapel Board. During a sabbatical period, Vald moved with Evelyn and Dorethe to the Netherlands, where he studied hydraulic engineering at Delft Institute for an idyllic year. During these years at West Point, Vald and Evelyn influenced numerous classes of cadets and hundreds of faculty members and their spouses. Evelyn introduced Valds mother, widely known as "Mother Hei," to hundreds of cadet fiancees and Army spouses to discuss Army family matters.

Near the end of his tour as a professor, Vald worked tirelessly and hard with a few colleagues to realize an improved, modernized curriculum. Those who knew him are familiar with his subtle sense of humor and dry wit he frequently exhibitedwith a twinkle in his eye and a chuckle. Thousands of graduates still recall his fascinating talks, such as the "Sir Isaac Newton lecture," delivered with that same humor.

At Valds Army retirement in December 1968, an old boss and beloved colleague, GEN Jacob Devers, awarded Vald the Armys highest service award, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the nation elevated him to brigadier general. After Valds retirement, he and Evelyn stayed active on the tennis courts at Hallowing Point, VA, and Clearwater Beach, FL. "Granddad Heiberg" introduced a number of his grandchildren to water-skiing while still in Virginia.

In 1988, Evelyn and Vald were one of the first couples to move into The Fairfax, a military retirement community at Ft. Belvoir. Evelyn died there in 1998, and less than two years later, Vald joined her in the family gravesite at West Point. He and Evelyn were proud of their time in the Army: young Vald 53 and Bill 61 became career officers; and Dorethe married a career officer, Frank Skidmore 65. The Heibergs also left ten grandchildren (all "Army brats" themselves) and a growing number of great-grandchildren.

Todays West Point reflects BG Heibergs singular contributions to the Academy. Both Vald and Evelyn left an indelible mark on the U.S. Army. For Vald Heiberg, a true son of West Point, the Long Gray Line can say, "Well done. Be thou at peace."

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High lights of his service

 

 

GEN Jacob Devers, awarded Brig Gen Heiberg the Army's highest service award, the Distinguished Service Medal

Too bad this is not on the ribbon bar

 

West Point and joined the Class of 26. Heiberg was "King of the Beasts" (cadet commander of the initial training of the Class of 29), and graduated near the head of his class. He joined the Corps of Engineers, serving in that branch for 23 years.

 

 

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Truman's nomination of Heiberg to be professor of mechanics at West Point in 1949. He began his last and longest assignment, heading the department of mechanics and serving on the academic board for two decades.

 

808th Aviation Engineer Battalion

Major unit

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  • 1 month later...

Dose any know what campaigns and amphibious assault the general took part in for the pro and Philippians

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