Colonel, US Army Infantry, Retired.
Colonel Weaver started his Army career in 1932 as a junior Infantry Officer commanding Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) units followed by assignments to several Infantry organizations.
He was a Veteran of WWII, serving with the XV Corps in France. Before the end of the war, he was personally awarded the French Croix De Guerre Medal by General Phillipe Leclerc, commander of the French 2nd Armored Brigade which led the liberation of Paris and to which then Lieutenant Colonel Weaver was attached as an intelligence officer. His wartime service with the 2nd Armored Brigade permitted Colonel Weaver to wear the French unit's badge on his US Army uniform, an honor of which he was very proud.
He was also the recipient of 2 Bronze Star Medals for World War II service. Following WW II, he was an intelligence officer with both the 7th Corps and 7th Army in occupied Germany from 1946 to 1950.
After his overseas tours of duty, he was assigned to the 3rd US Infantry "Old Guard" where he was a Battalion Commander, Regimental Executive Officer, and finally for a short time, the Regimental Commander. At the same time, the Regimental Commander, one of his duties was to command the President's Tri-Service (Army, Navy, Air Force) Honor Guard for several of President Truman's ceremonies and for General Douglas McArthur's retirement ceremony held on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
Carl's duties after he left the 3rd Infantry included a year in the Korean Conflict for which he was awarded a 3rd Bronze Star Medal, followed by duty with the 6th US Army, the XX Corps Headquarters, and the US Continental Army Command from which he retired.
Carl's first job out of high school was working for Ford Recycling as a nail puller in a salvage line for $5 a day. He was then promoted to assistant packer (he counted items) and for a short time, to assistant loading supervisor on the docks. He was finally promoted to timekeeper where he stayed until he left for college.
Carl attended Lehigh University in the class of 1932 as an Industrial Engineering student. He was a member of Theta Xi Fraternity. During college, while working during summer vacations, he was a Merchant Seaman. Once he served on a lumber schooner (one of 17) which left Halifax, Nova Scotia for New York. Only seven ships made it to New York safely. Carl's ship and nine others sank in a storm off the southeastern end of Long Island. The wreck could be seen from shore and Carl took his sister, Evelyn, to see it. The date of the sinking is unknown, but it occurred about 1929 or 1930.
Carl also served as a Merchant Marine on the Oiler C.D. Malibar (formerly the John D. Rockefeller), Mallory Lines, a subsidiary of U.S. Lines. While on this assignment, he made several trips to South America including Brazil.
While in college, he worked a short time for Bell Laboratories assisting in the design of the telephone, hand-held, single unit speaker, and mouthpiece.
Carl was an accomplished artist, first working in pen and ink drawing greeting cards while in college. While in the Army, he established a dark room and became an award-winning black and white photographer winning many contests and associated accolades. After retirement, he mastered the skill of oil painting and became well-known enough to have several of his paintings in galleries and public venues in the Punta Gorda, Florida area.
Colonel Weaver's funeral was held at the Fort Myer Protestant Chapel near the South Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Full military honors were rendered by the US Army 3rd Infantry Regiment "Old Guard", his former unit. The ceremony was overseen by the Regimental Commander at the time. His gravestone is against the wall between the cemetery and Fort Myer with the Chapel in sight. For Colonel Weaver, his time spent with the 3rd US Infantry was his quintessential Army assignment and the one he most fondly treasured.
Origins of the 2nd Armored Division
Men from the 2nd French Armored Division came from the Leclerc column (1941) and from the February 1943 "L Force" (L as Leclerc) subordinated to the 8th British Army. In March 1943, these men were attached to Captain Rémy's column before forming the 2nd Free French Division ("2ème division de la France Libre", DFL) composed of French units in Africa that had gathered at Sabratha in Libya on May 15, 1943. The 2nd Armored Division was officially created on August 24, 1943, in Temara, Morocco. It was commanded by General Philippe Leclerc.
The Allies wanted to involve this unit, hardened by the hard fighting of North Africa, in the invasion of Normandy. They also wished to allow free French forces to participate in the liberation of their country. Transported in England from April to May 1944, the 2nd Armored Division is fully equipped with American equipment and continues its training.
Normandy campaign
The second armored division, nicknamed "2e DB", landed at Saint-Martin-de-Varreville (Utah Beach) on August 1, 1944, and regroups in La-Haye-du-Puits in the Cotentin Peninsula. Composed of 14,000 men including 3,350 colonial troops, it is placed under American command, under the orders of the 3rd Army of General George S. Patton and the 15th Army Corps of General Haislip.
The 2nd French Armored Division participates in Operation Cobra and the closure of the Falaise pocket. French troops advanced towards Avranches, Vitré, Château-Gontier, and Le Mans. They liberated Alençon on August 12, 1944, and took the Germans speed. But the Allies are slow to close the trap set for the Germans at Falaise, particularly because of the coordination difficulties between units moving northwards and those progressing southwards.
While they are at the gates of Argentan, Leclerc's soldiers are ordered to advance toward Paris to conduct reconnaissance missions. After the requests supported by General de Gaulle and Leclerc, the Allies allowed the 2nd French Armored Division to enter the French capital where it faced multiple skirmishes. After the uprising of the Parisians which accelerated the departure of the Germans, Philippe Leclerc received the surrender of the general Dietrich von Choltitz in person on August 25, 1944.
From Paris to Strasbourg
French troops arrive in Alsace just before the beginning of winter. In difficult fights, the roughness of particularly bad weather. After the liberation of Obernai, the 2nd French Armored Division carried out on 23 November 1944 the oath of Kouffra pronounced by Leclerc: the Alsatians welcome their liberators with immense joy. The United States decorated the division of the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation following the fighting for the liberation of Strasbourg.
Leclerc continues his offensive in Germany and Austria while the fighting continues in the pocket of Colmar. Soldiers of the French 2nd Armored Division are the first to enter Hitler's Eagle's Nest, even before American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division.
In June 1945, General Dio took over from General Leclerc. 1,687 soldiers of this unit were killed during the war, and 3,300 were wounded.
Colonel, US Army Infantry, Retired.
Colonel Weaver started his Army career in 1932 as a junior Infantry Officer commanding Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) units followed by assignments to several Infantry organizations.
He was a Veteran of WWII, serving with the XV Corps in France. Before the end of the war, he was personally awarded the French Croix De Guerre Medal by General Phillipe Leclerc, commander of the French 2nd Armored Brigade which led the liberation of Paris and to which then Lieutenant Colonel Weaver was attached as an intelligence officer. His wartime service with the 2nd Armored Brigade permitted Colonel Weaver to wear the French unit's badge on his US Army uniform, an honor of which he was very proud.
He was also the recipient of 2 Bronze Star Medals for World War II service. Following WW II, he was an intelligence officer with both the 7th Corps and 7th Army in occupied Germany from 1946 to 1950.
After his overseas tours of duty, he was assigned to the 3rd US Infantry "Old Guard" where he was a Battalion Commander, Regimental Executive Officer, and finally for a short time, the Regimental Commander. At the same time, the Regimental Commander, one of his duties was to command the President's Tri-Service (Army, Navy, Air Force) Honor Guard for several of President Truman's ceremonies and for General Douglas McArthur's retirement ceremony held on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
Carl's duties after he left the 3rd Infantry included a year in the Korean Conflict for which he was awarded a 3rd Bronze Star Medal, followed by duty with the 6th US Army, the XX Corps Headquarters, and the US Continental Army Command from which he retired.
Carl's first job out of high school was working for Ford Recycling as a nail puller in a salvage line for $5 a day. He was then promoted to assistant packer (he counted items) and for a short time, to assistant loading supervisor on the docks. He was finally promoted to timekeeper where he stayed until he left for college.
Carl attended Lehigh University in the class of 1932 as an Industrial Engineering student. He was a member of Theta Xi Fraternity. During college, while working during summer vacations, he was a Merchant Seaman. Once he served on a lumber schooner (one of 17) which left Halifax, Nova Scotia for New York. Only seven ships made it to New York safely. Carl's ship and nine others sank in a storm off the southeastern end of Long Island. The wreck could be seen from shore and Carl took his sister, Evelyn, to see it. The date of the sinking is unknown, but it occurred about 1929 or 1930.
Carl also served as a Merchant Marine on the Oiler C.D. Malibar (formerly the John D. Rockefeller), Mallory Lines, a subsidiary of U.S. Lines. While on this assignment, he made several trips to South America including Brazil.
While in college, he worked a short time for Bell Laboratories assisting in the design of the telephone, hand-held, single unit speaker, and mouthpiece.
Carl was an accomplished artist, first working in pen and ink drawing greeting cards while in college. While in the Army, he established a dark room and became an award-winning black and white photographer winning many contests and associated accolades. After retirement, he mastered the skill of oil painting and became well-known enough to have several of his paintings in galleries and public venues in the Punta Gorda, Florida area.
Colonel Weaver's funeral was held at the Fort Myer Protestant Chapel near the South Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Full military honors were rendered by the US Army 3rd Infantry Regiment "Old Guard", his former unit. The ceremony was overseen by the Regimental Commander at the time. His gravestone is against the wall between the cemetery and Fort Myer with the Chapel in sight. For Colonel Weaver, his time spent with the 3rd US Infantry was his quintessential Army assignment and the one he most fondly treasured.
Origins of the 2nd Armored Division
Men from the 2nd French Armored Division came from the Leclerc column (1941) and from the February 1943 "L Force" (L as Leclerc) subordinated to the 8th British Army. In March 1943, these men were attached to Captain Rémy's column before forming the 2nd Free French Division ("2ème division de la France Libre", DFL) composed of French units in Africa that had gathered at Sabratha in Libya on May 15, 1943. The 2nd Armored Division was officially created on August 24, 1943, in Temara, Morocco. It was commanded by General Philippe Leclerc.
The Allies wanted to involve this unit, hardened by the hard fighting of North Africa, in the invasion of Normandy. They also wished to allow free French forces to participate in the liberation of their country. Transported in England from April to May 1944, the 2nd Armored Division is fully equipped with American equipment and continues its training.
Normandy campaign
The second armored division, nicknamed "2e DB", landed at Saint-Martin-de-Varreville (Utah Beach) on August 1, 1944, and regroups in La-Haye-du-Puits in the Cotentin Peninsula. Composed of 14,000 men including 3,350 colonial troops, it is placed under American command, under the orders of the 3rd Army of General George S. Patton and the 15th Army Corps of General Haislip.
The 2nd French Armored Division participates in Operation Cobra and the closure of the Falaise pocket. French troops advanced towards Avranches, Vitré, Château-Gontier, and Le Mans. They liberated Alençon on August 12, 1944, and took the Germans speed. But the Allies are slow to close the trap set for the Germans at Falaise, particularly because of the coordination difficulties between units moving northwards and those progressing southwards.
While they are at the gates of Argentan, Leclerc's soldiers are ordered to advance toward Paris to conduct reconnaissance missions. After the requests supported by General de Gaulle and Leclerc, the Allies allowed the 2nd French Armored Division to enter the French capital where it faced multiple skirmishes. After the uprising of the Parisians which accelerated the departure of the Germans, Philippe Leclerc received the surrender of the general Dietrich von Choltitz in person on August 25, 1944.
From Paris to Strasbourg
French troops arrive in Alsace just before the beginning of winter. In difficult fights, the roughness of particularly bad weather. After the liberation of Obernai, the 2nd French Armored Division carried out on 23 November 1944 the oath of Kouffra pronounced by Leclerc: the Alsatians welcome their liberators with immense joy. The United States decorated the division of the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation following the fighting for the liberation of Strasbourg.
Leclerc continues his offensive in Germany and Austria while the fighting continues in the pocket of Colmar. Soldiers of the French 2nd Armored Division are the first to enter Hitler's Eagle's Nest, even before American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division.
In June 1945, General Dio took over from General Leclerc. 1,687 soldiers of this unit were killed during the war, and 3,300 were wounded.
