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<div>In preparing my thoughts for this article it occurs to me that one of the finest things about having attended the Military Academy is the memory all of us have of such wonderful people as <em>Harry Sweeting</em>. I first met him when I was assigned as his roommate after a transfer from another company during Beast Barracks. Those were not the jolly days of our lives but Harry did much to make them a lot more interesting and a lot less trying for me. His early efforts to regale me with stories of his success as a teacher of a Bible Class did not impress me as being particularly applicable to the numerous problems of the moment but they did much to divert both of us from the other distractions of our somewhat hectic existence.</div>
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<div>Harry was a roommate whom I enjoyed, a classmate whom I knew well and saw frequently, and a lifelong friend. We graduated not far apart on the roster, we went to Branch school together, and we fought our battles with the elements, the terrain, and the Germans on the same battlefields in Italy. We saw each other occasionally during the following years and after retirement settled down only a few blocks apart in the area of Arlington. I am proud to say I knew Harry well, admired and respected him as a professional soldier, and regard it as sincere good fortune to have him counted among my friends and classmates. He was always pleasant to be with, willing to help or join the fun, enjoyed sharing his experiences and knowledge with others, and could be counted on to come through in the clutch when we had some common endeavor.</div>
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<div>Harry was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of James P. and Agnes D. Sweeting, on 17 April 1911. The family moved in his infancy and Harry grew up in Auburn, New York. He was appointed to the Military Academy from that district in 1929. During his cadet days he made many friends, fared well in academics, and shared the area and the tanbark of the riding hall with some of the best of us.</div>
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<div>Upon graduation Harry was assigned to Fort Wayne, Detroit, with the 2d Infantry, one of those scattered remnants which we called our Army in the 1930s. As Harry phrases it in a class yearbook, "After four years of using the last of the oldest equipment in the Army we moved to Benning.” In 1937-1938 Harry attended The Infantry School and upon completion of that course was selected to remain at Benning and attend the Armored course, completing the latter in 1939. His career thereafter was primarily in the tank and armored fields. For two years prior to World War II he served at Fort Meade with the 66th Light Tank Battalion and back at Fort Benning with the Second Armored Division. In 1941 he assumed command of the 756th Tank Battalion and accompanied it to North Africa in the winter of 1942.</div>
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<div>Harry took his battalion into combat in Italy and while leading his unit in the assault on Cassino was decorated a second time for bravery. His citation for the second Silver Star award, during that operation, reads in part: “...a sniper sent a bullet through the sleeve of his jacket. With utter disregard for his own personal safety, he proceeded on his mission...</div>
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<div>A former schoolmate of Harry’s, Mr. Howard Hosmer, wrote in his <em>Rochester Times Union</em> column of Harry’s part in the Cassino operation: “It was no surprise to us that <em>International News Service</em> said cracking of the Nazi bastion was accomplished in what a correspondent called a classic display of tank-infantry teamwork. For there was Harry Sweeting again, ready with all the answers.”</div>
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<div>For the Rome-Arno Offensive Harry was assigned to the 34th Division as commander of the 135th Infantry Regiment. In his words, "Subsequent to Anzio and Rome I ran into some 3d Panzer Grenadiers who converted my status to ’Kreigsgefangenen.’ After marching over half of Germany with ’Pop’ Goode, I escaped with a couple of Royal Air Force types, and effected juncture with United States forces—an armored outfit again."</div>
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<div>During his service in Italy Harry participated in the Naples-Foggia, Anzio, and Rome-Arno Campaigns, and distinguished himself by his outstanding leadership in combat. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and received three awards for valor, including two Silver Stars and the Bronze Star Medal.</div>
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<div>After the war Harry attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and thereafter was assigned to The Armored School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. There he put his expertise in Armor and his skill as writer to good use in developing doctrine and training literature for Armored units. He also directed the production of a new series of field manuals on Armor. In 1950 he attended the Army War College and was subsequently assigned to Headquarters, Army Field Forces, at Fort Monroe, to serve as a branch Chief in the Combat Developments Division, where again his knowledge of armor proved invaluable in the development of tanks and other unit equipment.</div>
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<div>His next assignment was with the Military Assistance Group, Korea, where he served as a Senior Unit Advisor and also as a Logistics Officer in 1954 and 1955. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his outstanding performance of these duties and reassigned to the Pentagon in 1955. During that assignment he served with the Weapons System Evaluation Group, a part of the Joint Staff.</div>
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<div>In the summer of 1959 Harry was reassigned as Executive Officer, Military Assistance Group, Oslo, Norway, and remained in that capacity until November 1962. Of that period he wrote, "The tour in Norway was one of the best and it was there that I met, and later married, Eva Rordam.” Upon his return he was again assigned to the Pentagon, this time to Project "Cloud Cap,” an element of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. He retired in July 1963 after thirty years of service. Following retirement he was employed by Bendix Corporation and by Melpar Corporation in the Washington area for a period of about five years. Since that time he followed his hobby of fishing and at the time of his passing was devoting full time to the preparation of a book on nutrition, a subject in which he had an absorbing interest.</div>
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<div>Harry’s eclectic interests and his congenial personality were as many-faceted as are the numerous and diverse assignments of his distinguished military career. He wrote well and entertainingly, was an excellent chess player, superbly talented in telling any story, and a well informed student of military history. His easy conversational ability made him a delightful addition to many of our gatherings and those of us who knew him will miss him there in the future.</div>
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<div>Harry Sweeting joined the Long Gray Line in August 1977, after unsuccessful surgery to repair an aneurysm. He rests at peace in Arlington among many of his comrades who knew and loved him. He is survived by his wife Eva of Falls Church; a former wife, Helen, of Fairfax; two daughters, Susan of Falls Church, and Elizabeth Getman, of Spirit Lake, Iowa; and three grandchildren, George, Linda, and Brian Getman.</div>
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<div>We will miss Harry but we can look forward to his welcome when our own call comes to march through that final dim sallyport and join the Long Gray Line with him.</div>
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<div><em>—Lyle W. Bernard</em></div>
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