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In response to a questionnaire, <em>Ben Sternberg</em> wrote, “I want to be remem­bered as a commander who always took care of his troops.” He will certainly be remem­bered for that. One of his platoon leaders in E Company, 18th Infantry, recalls 1LT Sternberg telling him, “If I catch you eating before your men are fed, I’ll court-martial you!” Fifty years later, Ben Sternberg was still receiving letters from men who had served as soldiers in E Company under his command.</p>
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He had a strong sense of social justice and a warm humanism, traits of character no doubt incubated in his native north-cen­tral Florida, where he witnessed first hand the intolerance of the Klansmen, nocturnal bullies who were ordinary townspeople by day. His father operated a dry-goods store in Starke, and young Ben, stung by taunts about his Jewish heritage, took up the “sweet science” of boxing as a response. At many stages of his life, he was able to bring his compassionate humanism to bear on is­sues ranging from conscientious objectors in World War II, to the cases presented be­fore the post-war Special Clemency Board, to meeting the need of African-American soldiers for ethnic products in the Post Exchanges of the Viet Nam era, to recog­nizing and appreciating the contribution of women to the Army.</p>
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He was an athlete, from the Bradford County High School football team and the boxing matches of his youth; to boxing, la­crosse, and B Squad football at West Point; and to golf, swimming, and, especially, ten­nis in his later years. He played tennis regu­larly into his mid-eighties, although as the years went by more time was spent swapping stories on the bench between games than on the court.</p>
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He was a soldier. The Florida National Guard, Marion Military Institute, a hitch as an enlisted man, and four years at West Point established a foundation, but the crucible in which his professionalism was forged was the 18th Infantry Regiment. He joined the 18th at Ft. Wadsworth upon graduation from West Point in 1938 and remained with the unit as it was assembled into the 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Devens, MA, trained across the Southeast United States, and deployed overseas. He landed with the Regiment in North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy. Under his command, the 2nd Battalion was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for its successful attack on Hill 350, a victory described as “one of the classic infantry attacks of World War II” and which enabled “the entire II Corps to advance uninterruptedly until the capitula­tion of the Axis forces in Tunisia.” He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his valor during the battle at El Guettar. He remained with the 18th across Europe into Czechoslovakia. He loved the Army, and he loved West Point, but the 18th Infantry and the “Big Red One” were always first in his heart. His bid to take command of the divi­sion in Viet Nam was thwarted because he already had been in country for two years, but the “consolation prize” of commanding the 101st Airborne was a source of pride. He rarely missed attending the annual meeting of the Officers of the First Division, where long into the night the veterans of World War II recounted their exploits at the regi­mental CP. He was never more relaxed and happy than among his comrades from those wartime years.</p>
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He was a family man. He met Elsie Wolf in late January of 1941 and married her six weeks later. His son Ben, Jr., was born while he was in North Africa. Over the years there were many trips to Daytona Beach, where his parents and brother had moved after the war. As his and his three siblings’ families grew, these visits evolved into annual family reunions, and he became the prime mover in making them happen. They continue to this day.</p>
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He loved a good time. His father gave up a vaudeville career to start a family and, upon moving to Starke, set up a dance studio above his store. To hear Ben tell it, Bradford County was a hotbed of parties and high jinks during Prohibition, and there was plenty of socializing throughout his Army career, from theme parties in officers clubs to late night outings in Paris nightclubs during his four years with the Military Assistance Advisory Group there.</p>
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His Army career ran along two tracks. The first was command: battalion level in WWII, the 5th Regimental Combat Team in immediate-post-war Korea, the 101st Airborne Division prior to that unit’s deploy­ment to Viet Nam, and U.S. Army Hawaii as a final assignment. The second track was personnel: G-l of the Eighth Army in Korea, Director of Manpower in ODCSPER, and J-1 of MAC-V during the build-up there in the mid-1960s. Of course there were other assignments in his 33 years of commissioned service, but command and personnel were ideally suited to his leadership abilities and his compassionate temperament.</p>
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He loved a good joke and, like his father before him, “had a million of ’em.” They ma­terialized in light-hearted moments and on somber occasions. They were a link to other people, for one of his greatest strengths was his ability to relate to people of every sort. People were drawn to him and confided in him, and he, in turn, was a wonderful friend, mentor, or source of comfort, as the situation demanded.</p>
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Ben Sternberg died on 2 Jan 2004 in Honolulu, a place he had come to love dur­ing the 37 years he and Elsie lived there. His ashes were interred in Arlington National Cemetery the following April. He was not a religious man, but the chaplain and friend who presided at his graveside service found the appropriate words in Micah 6:8 to sum up his life, describing him as a man who met the requirements “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly.” We feel his absence deeply.</p>
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