Charles L. Bolte

General Charles Lawrence Bolte (8 May 1895 – 11 February 1989) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II. In World War II he distinguished himself as commander of the 34th Infantry Division during the Italian Campaign, for which he was twice awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. Later promoted to four-star general officer rank, his final post was Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

Early life and military career

Bolte graduated from what is today the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in chemical engineering. He began his military career in 1916, during World War I (although the United States was still officially neutral at this stage), when he earned a commission as a second lieutenant into the United States Army's Infantry Branch.

Two years later in 1918, after the American entry into World War I, which occurred on 6 April 1917, Bolte shipped off for the Western Front to reinforce the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing. Serving as a company commander in the 58th Infantry Regiment, part of the 4th Division, he saw combat in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse–Argonne offensive, where he was wounded in action on 19 September.

Between the wars

In August 1919, Bolte returned to the United States as a captain, nine months after the war came to an end on 11 November 1918 at 11:00am. In 1923, he married Adelaide Carleton Poore, the daughter of Major General Benjamin A. Poore. They were the parents of three children— Colonel David E., Brigadier General Philip L., and daughter Damara.

Bolte remained in the army during the interwar period and completed the Infantry Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1930, graduated in 1932 from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and was ordered to the American Barracks, Tientsin, China for duty with the 15th Infantry Regiment as S-3 company and battalion commander.