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<em>Sam Myers</em> was a true son of West Point. It provided him with the guidance into manhood which his deceased father could not; it provided a pathway to a life of places and responsibilities never envisioned by an upstate New York farmboy; and it set a focus to his life which never left him—Duty to Country. To him life was combat, and victory was not for the lazy, the timid, the slugabed, the mushmouth, afraid to tell people exactly what was on his mind whether they liked it or not. He often said he was not on earth to win a popularity contest. He never listened to advice to slow down, and when it became apparent that his end on earth was inevitable, he accepted the fact with grace and dignity, and pushed for a rapid termination.</p>
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Samuel Leslie Myers was born 31 January 1905, the fifth child of Charles Benton and Adeline Megraw Myers, near Martville, New York. When his father died, some five years later, his older brothers and sisters kept the family going on a small farm near Red Creek. Growing up near Lake Ontario, he learned hunting and fishing, and a genuine love of the land and its harvest which stayed with him and was manifest in many ways.</p>
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Following his graduation from Leavenworth High School in Wolcott, New York, he went to Rochester, New York for employment. It was there he became interested in the National Guard, and twice enlisted. The first time he was discovered to be underage. His enlistment in the 101st Cavalry, New York National Guard in 1923 was to launch a military career which would span 40 years.</p>
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With the encouragement of his instructor, he applied for and won an appointment to West Point and entered the Academy in July 1924. In “B” Company, he made lifelong friends, developed a keen sense of brotherhood, and emerged as a man thoroughly dedicated to the motto. Of him, the <em>Howitzer</em> of 1928 said: “As a bridge player and chess player, he has shown his ability, but as a poker player he shines. In his scholastic ability, Sam’l has demonstrated his ability to grasp and hold, with the least possible efforts, the salient facts. With a heart that is as big as his whistle, Sam’l will surely attain the rank of the noblest.”</p>
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After a graduation leave job as a camp counselor in Maine with his “wife” and lifelong friend, Del Spivey, he was posted to Fort Bliss, Texas and the 8th Cavalry. Fate intervened in the form of a rapid reassignment to the 1st Cavalry at Camp Marfa, Texas (later Fort D.A. Russell) occasioned by the lack of married quarters there for a classmate who had married en route. It was there that the other great influence entered his life— Frances Fennell, his lifelong admirer, greatest supporter, trusted adviser, the leaven of his life—his wife of almost 56 years. They were married in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 4 May 1932. To this union were born two children, Samuel L., Jr. and Frances Anne.</p>
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After attending the Cavalry school at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1933, Sam was assigned to the historic Fort Ringgold, at Rio Grande City, Texas, and remained there until January 1937, when he was transferred to Fort Stotsenburg, Philippine Islands, to serve with the 26th Cavalry. Here, Sam honed his ability as a polo player and was in many matches and horse shows.</p>
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Sam decided maybe there was a better chance for promotion in the Quartermaster Corps, and put in for a transfer. This resulted in his being sent to the Quartermaster School in Philadelphia in 1939. The school was closed early, due to the black clouds of war on the horizon, so he was ordered to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and took command of the 67th Quartermaster Battalion Light Maintenance. He was promoted to major, and in 1942, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and ordered to I Corps in Columbia, South Carolina as an automotive officer. This did not last long, for General Fredendall requested him to accompany him to serve in II Corps, and he sailed for England in June 1942. In the meantime, he was again transferred as an Armor officer. He made the initial landings in North Africa and Sicily and served as deputy chief of staff for Operations under Generals Patton and Bradley.</p>
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When General Bradley was assigned First Army, he took Sam with him, as his DC/S to England to help plan the invasion of Europe. Sam landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and fought all through Europe until V/E Day. On his EAME ribbon were eight battle stars and an arrowhead. When First Army was redeployed to the Pacific under the command of General Hodges, Sam went along, and was aboard the USS Missouri for the signing of Japan’s surrender.</p>
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Following the cessation of hostilities, Sam was ordered to Washington to the Industrial College, with credit for attending the National War College. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the JCS, and in 1949-51 he commanded the 3rd Armored Regiment until he was ordered to Camp Roberts, California to be chief of staff of III Corps.</p>
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In 1952, Sam was ordered to CINC-NEIM with headquarters first in Naples, later, London, and it was there he was promoted to brigadier general. This promotion resulted in his being assigned as deputy commanding general of the 3rd Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and in 1955-56 he commanded the Armor Training Replacement Center at that same post. In 1956, Sam was ordered to Vietnam to be deputy chief MAAG, and was promoted to major general. Following his tour of duty in Vietnam, he was again assigned to the Pentagon as assistant Deputy Chief of Staff of Logistics. In 1961, Sam realized a long-time dream to command the Armor School and Center at Fort Knox, but the dream was short-lived, for he was ordered to Korea as deputy commanding general of Eighth Army, at that time the largest field Army in peacetime, and promoted to lieutenant general. This was to be his last active-duty assignment, for he decided to retire in 1963 and become chairman of the board of the Fort Knox National Bank.</p>
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His many decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and numerous shooting medals from his service on the Cavalry Rifle Team. His foreign decorations included the French Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf, the OBE, the Luxembourg Ordre Grand Ducal Couronne de Chine, and the highest medal of the Republic of Korea to a foreigner.</p>
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He was very active in business and civic affairs following his retirement, and for many years was a consultant to the Link Trainer Company, and president of the Radcliff Chamber of Commerce and AUSA, Daniel Boone Chapter. He was also active in fund raising for the Patton Museum. As a sideline, he operated three Christmas tree farms in New York and Kentucky, and later a small ranch in Texas.</p>
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He was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, and was an active leader until his health failed. In his work with youth, he assisted young deserving prospects in gaining admission to West Point. He was active in the Republican Party in Texas and was commended by President Reagan for his work as his West Texas campaign manager.</p>
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He was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Del Rio, and advanced through all degrees of York Rite Masonry, attaining the rank of Knights Templar. He also taught himself woodworking, and became highly skilled in his hobby.</p>
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After a long illness and valiant fight, Sam finally succumbed to pulmonary fibrosis and other complications, of what he described as “not having lived a very sheltered life.” He is survived by his wife, two children, four grandchildren, one great-grandson, and numerous nieces and nephews.</p>
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Following a service in St. James, Del Rio, he was buried with full military honors in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. His son, Samuel L., Jr., wrote the following: “it was a beautiful spring day, sunny and a light breeze snapping the flags, but not obscuring the 15-gun honors and three-round volley. The ceremony was flawlessly executed by the most professional detail I have ever seen. Nearly all his family members were present; many West Point classmates and friends gathered to pay last respects. As the crowd drifted away, I saw a stooped figure gently comforting my mother. It was a lawyer from Chicago who had flown in for the few hours— retired Major General ‘Mac’ McNally of the ‘Race Track Gang.’ Of such devotion is the brotherhood of soldiers.” Sam truly lived “Duty, Honor, Country.”</p>
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<em>his wife, his son, and a family friend</em></p>
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