General Brehon Burke Somervell

Brehon Burke Somervell was born on May 9, 1892, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the only child of physician William Taylor Somervell and schoolteacher Mary Burke. Appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1910, he graduated sixth in his class in 1914 and served in the Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, World War II, and civilian posts. As head of the Works Progress Administration in New York City, he gained recognition for effective management and at times employed 203,000 workers. He then directed the Army's vast camp building program, overseeing the rapid construction of training camps and munitions plants as the nation prepared for World War II. In the summer of 1941, with the War Department workforce in Washington, D.C., exceeding 24,000, Somervell rejected temporary structures and ordered plans for a building to house 40,000 workers; after securing approval and funding, construction of the Pentagon began on September 11, 1941, and finished on January 15, 1943, after just 16 months, creating a building that covers 29 acres and contains 17.5 miles of hallways. As G-4 on the War Department General Staff, he pushed through a comprehensive Army Supply Program, and after reorganization became commander of the new Army Service Forces, serving as the War Department's principal logistical advisor and playing a vital role in mobilizing and sustaining forces around the world. He retired after 32 years of Army service and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster. His name was later carried by the U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel General Brehon B. Somervell, a ship designed to carry and discharge cargo to shallow terminals, remote coastlines, and inland waterways without external cranes or port facilities.

Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia · United States