On 22 January 1982 Brigadier General Lawrence Mcllroy Guyer, USMA Class of 1929, passed away in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he had lived since his retirement. He came from a long line of military men dating back to Major Daniel Dickinson, who distinguished himself during the American Revolution. Larry was born on 9 March 1907 in Brookings, South Dakota, son of Helen Greenman Guyer and Colonel George Dickinson Guyer, Class of 1891.
Larry was a man of great integrity, dedication, humility, humor, and compassion. He never made a judgment nor formed an opinion without careful study and clear thought.
He was a perfectionist but never demanded more from others than he himself was willing to give. His dedication to these values inspired those around him to greater achievement. He wrote that the “greatest satisfaction in (my) life is the honor and integrity of the military men” with whom he worked. He deeply believed that “the best guide to life, not only for a military career, but for personal satisfaction, is the Golden Rule.” This philosophy was best summed up in a training memorandum he wrote, first published in The Infantry Journal in July 1942 under the title “Think It Over” and subsequently reprinted and distributed to officers and men all over the service. Larry considered this work as the most important contribution of his military career. The memorandum outlines the obligation an officer has to his men for their training and safety. Larry was especially honored when Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower had the article printed in England prior to the invasion of North Africa with a forward in which he urged all officers to read the article and use it as a leadership guide.
Larry was a man of many talents. He loved music and language and had numerous short stories published. He was a supreme craftsman who enjoyed everything from woodworking to needlepoint. Above all, he loved his work. After graduation from West Point, Larry served for fourteen years in the Coast Artillery during which time he spent four years as an English instructor at the United States Military Academy. He was in command at Schofield Barracks in 1941 and was awaiting the arrival of guns and fire control equipment from the United States when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The following year he accompanied divers down into the sunken U.S.S. Arizona to determine whether the two aft 14” gun turrets could be salvaged. His conclusion was affirmative, and before returning to the surface he retrieved some undamaged ammunition which was later fired from the refurbished Arizona guns. Thus the Arizona “lived to fight another day.” For his defense activities in Hawaii Colonel Guyer earned the Bronze Star Medal. In 1943 Larry was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces where he served in various capacities until 1945 and was awarded the Legion of Merit. In 1945 he joined the Office of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served as a member of a joint team whose job it was to research and write a war-time history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1946 he permanently transferred to the Army Air Corps. He attended the National War College from which he graduated in 1950. He then served as a member of the faculty of the Air War College where he became Deputy Commandant and Director of Academic Instruction in 1952. In 1953 he became Chief of Staff of the Continental Air Command. In 1956 Brigadier General Guyer was appointed United States Air Force Member and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Military Armistice Commission in Korea. He was retired for physical disability in 1959.
Larry was married to Kathleen Mills Lincoln from 1930 until her death in 1961. The following year he married Eleanor Mears Carpenter who passed away in September 1981. He spent his retirement pursuing the hobbies he enjoyed. His belief in education brought him out of retirement briefly to teach high school English during a temporary teacher shortage. A modest man, he talked little of his talents or past achievements, but those he leaves behind remember them and him with admiration and affection.
**Biography from the West Point Association of Graduates**
Larry was a man of great integrity, dedication, humility, humor, and compassion. He never made a judgment nor formed an opinion without careful study and clear thought.
He was a perfectionist but never demanded more from others than he himself was willing to give. His dedication to these values inspired those around him to greater achievement. He wrote that the “greatest satisfaction in (my) life is the honor and integrity of the military men” with whom he worked. He deeply believed that “the best guide to life, not only for a military career, but for personal satisfaction, is the Golden Rule.” This philosophy was best summed up in a training memorandum he wrote, first published in The Infantry Journal in July 1942 under the title “Think It Over” and subsequently reprinted and distributed to officers and men all over the service. Larry considered this work as the most important contribution of his military career. The memorandum outlines the obligation an officer has to his men for their training and safety. Larry was especially honored when Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower had the article printed in England prior to the invasion of North Africa with a forward in which he urged all officers to read the article and use it as a leadership guide.
Larry was a man of many talents. He loved music and language and had numerous short stories published. He was a supreme craftsman who enjoyed everything from woodworking to needlepoint. Above all, he loved his work. After graduation from West Point, Larry served for fourteen years in the Coast Artillery during which time he spent four years as an English instructor at the United States Military Academy. He was in command at Schofield Barracks in 1941 and was awaiting the arrival of guns and fire control equipment from the United States when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The following year he accompanied divers down into the sunken U.S.S. Arizona to determine whether the two aft 14” gun turrets could be salvaged. His conclusion was affirmative, and before returning to the surface he retrieved some undamaged ammunition which was later fired from the refurbished Arizona guns. Thus the Arizona “lived to fight another day.” For his defense activities in Hawaii Colonel Guyer earned the Bronze Star Medal. In 1943 Larry was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces where he served in various capacities until 1945 and was awarded the Legion of Merit. In 1945 he joined the Office of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served as a member of a joint team whose job it was to research and write a war-time history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1946 he permanently transferred to the Army Air Corps. He attended the National War College from which he graduated in 1950. He then served as a member of the faculty of the Air War College where he became Deputy Commandant and Director of Academic Instruction in 1952. In 1953 he became Chief of Staff of the Continental Air Command. In 1956 Brigadier General Guyer was appointed United States Air Force Member and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Military Armistice Commission in Korea. He was retired for physical disability in 1959.
Larry was married to Kathleen Mills Lincoln from 1930 until her death in 1961. The following year he married Eleanor Mears Carpenter who passed away in September 1981. He spent his retirement pursuing the hobbies he enjoyed. His belief in education brought him out of retirement briefly to teach high school English during a temporary teacher shortage. A modest man, he talked little of his talents or past achievements, but those he leaves behind remember them and him with admiration and affection.
**Biography from the West Point Association of Graduates**
On 22 January 1982 Brigadier General Lawrence Mcllroy Guyer, USMA Class of 1929, passed away in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he had lived since his retirement. He came from a long line of military men dating back to Major Daniel Dickinson, who distinguished himself during the American Revolution. Larry was born on 9 March 1907 in Brookings, South Dakota, son of Helen Greenman Guyer and Colonel George Dickinson Guyer, Class of 1891.
Larry was a man of great integrity, dedication, humility, humor, and compassion. He never made a judgment nor formed an opinion without careful study and clear thought.
He was a perfectionist but never demanded more from others than he himself was willing to give. His dedication to these values inspired those around him to greater achievement. He wrote that the “greatest satisfaction in (my) life is the honor and integrity of the military men” with whom he worked. He deeply believed that “the best guide to life, not only for a military career, but for personal satisfaction, is the Golden Rule.” This philosophy was best summed up in a training memorandum he wrote, first published in The Infantry Journal in July 1942 under the title “Think It Over” and subsequently reprinted and distributed to officers and men all over the service. Larry considered this work as the most important contribution of his military career. The memorandum outlines the obligation an officer has to his men for their training and safety. Larry was especially honored when Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower had the article printed in England prior to the invasion of North Africa with a forward in which he urged all officers to read the article and use it as a leadership guide.
Larry was a man of many talents. He loved music and language and had numerous short stories published. He was a supreme craftsman who enjoyed everything from woodworking to needlepoint. Above all, he loved his work. After graduation from West Point, Larry served for fourteen years in the Coast Artillery during which time he spent four years as an English instructor at the United States Military Academy. He was in command at Schofield Barracks in 1941 and was awaiting the arrival of guns and fire control equipment from the United States when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The following year he accompanied divers down into the sunken U.S.S. Arizona to determine whether the two aft 14” gun turrets could be salvaged. His conclusion was affirmative, and before returning to the surface he retrieved some undamaged ammunition which was later fired from the refurbished Arizona guns. Thus the Arizona “lived to fight another day.” For his defense activities in Hawaii Colonel Guyer earned the Bronze Star Medal. In 1943 Larry was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces where he served in various capacities until 1945 and was awarded the Legion of Merit. In 1945 he joined the Office of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served as a member of a joint team whose job it was to research and write a war-time history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1946 he permanently transferred to the Army Air Corps. He attended the National War College from which he graduated in 1950. He then served as a member of the faculty of the Air War College where he became Deputy Commandant and Director of Academic Instruction in 1952. In 1953 he became Chief of Staff of the Continental Air Command. In 1956 Brigadier General Guyer was appointed United States Air Force Member and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Military Armistice Commission in Korea. He was retired for physical disability in 1959.
Larry was married to Kathleen Mills Lincoln from 1930 until her death in 1961. The following year he married Eleanor Mears Carpenter who passed away in September 1981. He spent his retirement pursuing the hobbies he enjoyed. His belief in education brought him out of retirement briefly to teach high school English during a temporary teacher shortage. A modest man, he talked little of his talents or past achievements, but those he leaves behind remember them and him with admiration and affection.
**Biography from the West Point Association of Graduates**
Larry was a man of great integrity, dedication, humility, humor, and compassion. He never made a judgment nor formed an opinion without careful study and clear thought.
He was a perfectionist but never demanded more from others than he himself was willing to give. His dedication to these values inspired those around him to greater achievement. He wrote that the “greatest satisfaction in (my) life is the honor and integrity of the military men” with whom he worked. He deeply believed that “the best guide to life, not only for a military career, but for personal satisfaction, is the Golden Rule.” This philosophy was best summed up in a training memorandum he wrote, first published in The Infantry Journal in July 1942 under the title “Think It Over” and subsequently reprinted and distributed to officers and men all over the service. Larry considered this work as the most important contribution of his military career. The memorandum outlines the obligation an officer has to his men for their training and safety. Larry was especially honored when Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower had the article printed in England prior to the invasion of North Africa with a forward in which he urged all officers to read the article and use it as a leadership guide.
Larry was a man of many talents. He loved music and language and had numerous short stories published. He was a supreme craftsman who enjoyed everything from woodworking to needlepoint. Above all, he loved his work. After graduation from West Point, Larry served for fourteen years in the Coast Artillery during which time he spent four years as an English instructor at the United States Military Academy. He was in command at Schofield Barracks in 1941 and was awaiting the arrival of guns and fire control equipment from the United States when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The following year he accompanied divers down into the sunken U.S.S. Arizona to determine whether the two aft 14” gun turrets could be salvaged. His conclusion was affirmative, and before returning to the surface he retrieved some undamaged ammunition which was later fired from the refurbished Arizona guns. Thus the Arizona “lived to fight another day.” For his defense activities in Hawaii Colonel Guyer earned the Bronze Star Medal. In 1943 Larry was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces where he served in various capacities until 1945 and was awarded the Legion of Merit. In 1945 he joined the Office of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served as a member of a joint team whose job it was to research and write a war-time history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1946 he permanently transferred to the Army Air Corps. He attended the National War College from which he graduated in 1950. He then served as a member of the faculty of the Air War College where he became Deputy Commandant and Director of Academic Instruction in 1952. In 1953 he became Chief of Staff of the Continental Air Command. In 1956 Brigadier General Guyer was appointed United States Air Force Member and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Military Armistice Commission in Korea. He was retired for physical disability in 1959.
Larry was married to Kathleen Mills Lincoln from 1930 until her death in 1961. The following year he married Eleanor Mears Carpenter who passed away in September 1981. He spent his retirement pursuing the hobbies he enjoyed. His belief in education brought him out of retirement briefly to teach high school English during a temporary teacher shortage. A modest man, he talked little of his talents or past achievements, but those he leaves behind remember them and him with admiration and affection.
**Biography from the West Point Association of Graduates**
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
