1. George Juskalian was a decorated Colonel of the United States Army who served for over three decades and fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
56 Facts About George Juskalian
1. 2.
George Juskalian was then stationed in Tehran where he acted an advisor to the Imperial Iranian Army throughout 1957 and 1958.
3.
George Juskalian retired as a colonel in 1967 and is one of the most decorated Armenian-Americans to serve in the United States Army.
4.
George Juskalian's awards include two Combat Infantryman Badges, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, four Bronze Stars and the Air Medal.
5.
George Juskalian received the Nerses Shnorali Medal from the Catholicos of All Armenians in 1988.
6.
George Juskalian was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on June 7,1914, the youngest son of Armenian parents Kevork Juskalian and Maritza Ferrahian.
7.
Kevork George Juskalian was among the earliest graduates of the Euphrates College in Kharpert, completing his studies around 1881.
8.
George Juskalian served as a minor official of the local Turkish government in Mezire, a village near Kharpert.
9.
George Juskalian was then invited to work in the Persian consulate in Mezire until he was recalled by the Turkish government to serve as supervisor of eleven villages in the region of Kharpert.
10.
Kevork George Juskalian felt that there was no secure future for him in Ottoman Turkey and subsequently fled to the United States with his family, arriving at Ellis Island on November 15,1887.
11.
Consequently, the George Juskalian family became some of the first Armenians to come to the United States.
12.
George Juskalian was instrumental in the establishment of the Armenian Church of Our Savior on January 18,1891.
13.
George Juskalian, who grew up in Fitchburg, attended the local schools and graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1932.
14.
George Juskalian continued his education at Boston University, graduating in 1936 with a bachelor's degree in science, journalism.
15.
That year, after passing a government exam, George Juskalian became a fingerprint classifier for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and took part in the search for John Dillinger, who was on the "Top 10 Most Wanted" list.
16.
George Juskalian was called to active duty at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and was promoted to the rank as first lieutenant in November 1940.
17.
George Juskalian was given command of a 200-man company after the reorganization of the 1st Infantry Division.
18.
In February 1942, George Juskalian was promoted to captain and was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida, before moving to Fort Benning, Georgia and then Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania, for additional training and combat readiness evaluation.
19.
George Juskalian, who became the assistant plans and operations officer on the regimental staff, went to Inveraray, Scotland, to train for the North African Campaign.
20.
George Juskalian then took part in Operation Torch as part of the 1st Infantry Division's 26th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
21.
George Juskalian's unit was part of the task force that invaded through the port of Oran.
22.
George Juskalian spent the next twenty-seven months as a POW and was held in various camps in Italy, Poland and Germany.
23.
George Juskalian spent nineteen-and-a-half of his twenty-seven months imprisonment in Oflag 64.
24.
However, George Juskalian shared one of the cigars his brother-in-law, Hagop Chiknavorian, had given him, with the officer undertaking the search who soon became "distracted and softened".
25.
Mirakian and George Juskalian surreptitiously gave him food from their limited rations.
26.
Mirakian and George Juskalian escaped through an opening in the compound fence and ran towards Frankfurt hoping to reach the American lines there, but a German patrol captured them, and they were immediately sent to Nuremberg.
27.
George Juskalian was flown to Paris, France, where he presented himself at a military post and requested financial assistance.
28.
George Juskalian confirmed that Richard was his brother, and he was then given all the provisions he needed.
29.
George Juskalian's responsibilities included supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Chiefs of Staff of the British and Americans and preparing briefs for Eisenhower.
30.
George Juskalian was then assigned to Alaska as commandant of the Arctic Warfare School.
31.
George Juskalian's request was approved and in the summer of 1952 he was sent to the combat zone.
32.
George Juskalian was assigned as a battalion commander from 1952 to 1953.
33.
George Juskalian's battalion was assigned to carry out a counterattack on a 300-foot high hill known as "Old Baldy" during an action that later became known as the Battle of Old Baldy.
34.
Many members of C Company were trapped on the right flank of Old Baldy, and George Juskalian requested tank support to demolish the Chinese bunkers to free 30 to 40 troops of the company.
35.
The Chinese force grew and became numerically superior to the Americans, and George Juskalian was ordered to withdraw.
36.
George Juskalian becomes Executive Officer of the 74th Regimental Combat Team, Ft Devens October 1955 and probably remains with the 74th RCT till it's inactivation in September 1956.
37.
George Juskalian was assigned as a logistics officer to the US Military Assistance Advisory Group in Tehran, Iran in 1957.
38.
George Juskalian then became chief of the Training Division of the Iranian First Army and was promoted to full colonel.
39.
George Juskalian's posting in New York was cut short by the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and Juskalian was sent to France to join the 1st Logistical Command.
40.
George Juskalian arrived in Saigon in August 1963 and took up a posting as deputy senior advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's IV Corps stationed in the Mekong Delta.
41.
George Juskalian returned to the United States in August 1964 and was posted to headquarters of Military District of Washington as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training, his last Army assignment before retirement.
42.
George Juskalian retired from the army on April 30,1967, and was awarded the Legion of Merit.
43.
George Juskalian worked as the graduate admissions director at the Southeastern University in Washington DC for eight years and attained a master's degree in business and public administration with honors in 1977 at the age of sixty.
44.
George Juskalian was a member of many veterans' organizations including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Retired Officers Association, and the 1st Infantry Division Association for the Uniformed Services.
45.
George Juskalian served for a term as first vice president of NAUS and was the commander of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.
46.
In 1982 George Juskalian was appointed for a three-year term to the Veterans Administration Advisory Committee for Former Prisoners of War.
47.
George Juskalian was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of the newly established Washington Times daily newspaper in 1983.
48.
George Juskalian served at the local St Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church and the Diocesan Council of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.
49.
George Juskalian served on the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and subsequently for a ten-year term on its Board of Trustees.
50.
George Juskalian was a member of the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Central Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.
51.
George Juskalian continuously stressed the importance of public service and shared many of his experiences with students.
52.
George Juskalian was the cousin of Medal of Honor recipient Ernest Dervishian who received the award while serving in the US Army during World War II.
53.
George Juskalian died on July 4,2010; funeral processions were held at the St Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington DC He is buried in the Prisoner of War Section of the Arlington National Cemetery.
54.
In 1988 George Juskalian was awarded the St Nerses Shnorhali Award and Lifetime Achievement and Pastor's Recognition Award bestowed by Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians for his dedication to the Armenian community.
55.
George Juskalian was featured in the documentary series Americans At War by the US Naval Institute.
56.
Colonel George Juskalian remained on the position to direct the operations and finally led the last element of his command from his position.