George Vernon Underwood Jr. (December 17, 1913 – August 3, 1984) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command (USCINCSO) from 1971 to 1973. He graduated from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis in 1931 and attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville for two years. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1937 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps.
Prior to World War II, he served as a battery grade officer with artillery units at Fort Scott in San Francisco, at Fort Kamahameha in the Territory of Hawaii, and at Fort Rodman in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
He attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1941. After serving as operations and training officer of the Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay, Fort Adams, Rhode Island, General Underwood was selected to attend the Task Force Staff Officers' Course conducted by the Operations Division of the War Department General Staff.
Upon completing this course, he was retained in the Operations Division where he served until 1945. In August, 1945, he was assigned to Headquarters, China Theater, where he served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-5, (Civil Affairs), then as Chief of the Control Section of the Office of the Chief of Staff, and finally as Chief of the Plans Division.
In June 1946, General Underwood was sent to Washington, D.C., to serve as Assistant to the Special Representative of General George C. Marshall, who was then the Presidential Envoy to China. General Underwood returned to China in October, 1946, as Executive Officer to General Marshall. Upon his return from China in May 1947, he was assigned to the Plans and Operations Division, War Department General Staff.
General Underwood graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in July 1949. He then commanded the 867th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion in Alaska until May 1951. From May 1951 until March 1953, he served as Deputy Director and then Director of the Executive Offices of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C.
General Underwood graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1954 and remained as a member of the faculty until 1957. As Commanding Officer, 2d Artillery Group, he commanded the Nike Defense of the Niagara-Buffalo Area from August 1957 until December 1958.
After eighteen months of study at University of Wisconsin–Madison, he received a Master of Arts in Journalism in 1960. He joined the Office of the Chief of Information, Department of the Army, in July 1960 and served as Assistant Chief of Information until January 1961. He was designated Deputy Chief of Information in January 1961 and Chief of Information in February 1963. He became a Major General on July 24, 1963.
In February, 1966, General Underwood was assigned as the Commanding General, 32d Artillery Brigade, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. On May 11, 1966, the 32d Artillery Brigade was redesignated the 32d Army Air Defense Command (AADC). Underwood was commander of Fort Bliss from 1967 to 1968 and later was commander, Aerospace Defense Command and commander, Fifth United States Army. He retired from the army in 1973.
General Underwood received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Ribbon with One Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Special Breast Order of Yun Hui .
He married Mary Heistand Underwood (née Scott) on June 16, 1948 and had three children: Scotty, Molly and Mary Kate.
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Some of their strengths
George V. Underwood Jr. has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intelligent, Practical, Energetic, Creative, Generous, Honest, and Bold.
Adventurous and Independent
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, George V. Underwood Jr. is someone who is an adventurous, independent, and energetic person, who is insightful, imaginative, generous, and honest. A person who is charismatic and resourceful.
Adventurous and Free
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know George V. Underwood Jr. well know them as someone who can be talented, wayward and free, like a big river or the ocean.
Ambitious and Forceful
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe George V. Underwood Jr. as someone who is ambitious, hard-working, determined, and intelligent.
A person who has a knack for identifying opportunities, has amazing concentration and focus, who can work independently, who likes starting new things, and who is somewhat of an intellectual.
Wise and Deep
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, George V. Underwood Jr. is someone who tends to have an internal innate wisdom, and who people tend to see as an "old soul".
They are also someone who is balanced, stable, and energetic, who likes the idea of home and family, and who is very comfortable being the person in charge.
Optimistic and Quick-witted
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, George V. Underwood Jr. tends to be someone who is optimistic and spontaneous, and who has a clear and analytical mind. Who can be witty, with a happy-go-lucky- nature that makes others cheerful, and who possesses an adventurous zest for life.
Some of George V. Underwood Jr.'s challenges
While George V. Underwood Jr. has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, George V. Underwood Jr. can be Arrogant, Impulsive, Careless, Status-seeking, Relentless, Inflexible, and Unemotional.
Impulsive and Careless
One of George V. Underwood Jr.'s key challenges is that they are someone who can be impulsive and careless.
Relentless and Inflexible
George V. Underwood Jr. is someone who can be relentless, obsessive, and inflexible, who can be confrontational with work colleagues, can have difficulty communicating feelings and be somewhat reclusive, and who can be self-destructive, overindulgent, and extravagant.
Irritable and Callous
Finally, George V. Underwood Jr. also can be short-tempered, childish, insensitive, and careless at times.
