Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas H. Tackaberry, the highly decorated former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and Fort Bragg, died on Monday, according to news reports. He was 93.
He served in combat in Korea and Vietnam, earning three Distinguished Service Crosses, five Silver Stars and a Soldier's Medal, among other awards.
"He was a soldier's soldier," one of his sons, retired Brig. Gen. Burt Tackaberry, told The Fayetteville Observer. "His philosophy was 'take care of soldiers and they would get the job done.' He loved his soldiers. And he absolutely loved the Army."
"We remember and honor the service, sacrifice, leadership and tremendous example of Lt. Gen. Thomas Tackaberry," Maj. Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, deputy commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps and acting senior commander of Fort Bragg, said in the Observer report. "His legacy is forever enshrined in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps and our great Army."
Tackaberry will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
