General James V Hartinger

Local hero included in bill honoring veterans

Staff Sgt. Stewart is unique in that he is claimed by both West Virginia and Ohio - he was born in West Columbia, W.Va. in 1942 but lived in Middleport. His May 26, 1966 obituary in the Point Pleasant Register said the 23-year old solider was killed during hostile action on May 18, 1966 in Vietnam. At the time of his death he’d been in the military for six years. The obituary says he was buried in Riverview Cemetery in Middleport. Staff Sgt. Stewart served in Company B, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. According to his Medal of Honor citation, “Early in the morning (May 18, 1966) a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked Company B, which was manning a defensive perimeter in Vietnam. The surprise onslaught wounded five members of a six-man squad caught in the direct path of the enemy's thrust. S/Sgt. Stewart became a lone defender of vital terrain--virtually one man against a hostile platoon. Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the firing which would have permitted him to withdraw, S/Sgt. Stewart elected to hold his ground to protect his fallen comrades and prevent an enemy penetration of the company perimeter. As the full force of the platoon-sized man attack struck his lone position, he fought like a man possessed; emptying magazine after magazine at the determined, on-charging enemy. The enemy drove almost to his position and hurled grenades, but S/Sgt. Stewart decimated them by retrieving and throwing the grenades back. Exhausting his ammunition, he crawled under intense fire to his wounded team members and collected ammunition that they were unable to use. Far past the normal point of exhaustion, he held his position for four harrowing hours and through three assaults, annihilating the enemy as they approached and before they could get a foothold. As a result of his defense, the company position held until the arrival of a reinforcing platoon which counterattacked the enemy, now occupying foxholes to the left of S/Sgt. Stewart's position. After the counterattack, his body was found in a shallow enemy hole where he had advanced in order to add his fire to that of the counterattacking platoon. Eight enemy dead were found around his immediate position, with evidence that 15 others had been dragged away. The wounded whom he gave his life to protect, were recovered and evacuated. S/Sgt. Stewart's indomitable courage, in the face of overwhelming odds, stands as a tribute to himself and an inspiration to all men of his unit. His actions were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and the Armed Forces of his country.” We're glad to give you a forum to air your point of view on issues important to this community. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or assail anyone's personal or religious beliefs. For anyone who can't be civil, we reserve the right to remove your material. We also reserve the right to ban users who violate our visitor's agreement.

General James V. Hartinger Marker

General James V. Hartinger, 1925-2000, was born in Middleport, Ohio, and graduated from Middleport High School in 1943. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1949 and was a career-long fighter pilot with the United States Air Force, flying every type of fighter craft the Air Force procured during his 35 years of active duty. He saw military action during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Named commander-in-chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs in 1979, he was promoted to four stars and became the "founding father" of Air Force Space Command. The headquarters building of Air Force Space Command is named the James V. Hartinger Building in his honor and the Hartinger Medal is awarded annually for extraordinary achievement in space.

General Jim Hartinger, From One Stripe to Four Stars

The limits of safety, organizations, accidents, and nuclear weapons

Arms Control Today, April 1991, p. 16. 123 Interview with General James V. Hartinger, NBC-TV transcript, July 8, 1983, p. 3. ...

Space, countdown to the future : a report on the Third National Space Symposium sponsored by the United States Space Foundation, January 20-23, 1987, at the Broadmoor Convention Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

... Air Force Systems Command GENERAL JAMES V HARTINGER was the first Commander of ... General Hartinger is a career long fighter pilot, serving in Germany, ...

Aviation week and space technology

Heart of the reconnaissance mission at Shaw AFB is the 363rd Tactical Recon- Lt. Gen. James V. Hartinger, commander 9th Air Force, Shaw AFB, SC . ...

Computerworld

Many of the Norad problems have been identified and are being addressed, Socolar and Norad Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. James V. Hartinger agreed. ...