On 20 January 1944 Brigadier General Frank A. Keating assumed command of the Ozark Division which he was destined to lead through the battle for Germany. A soldiers' soldier, he was born in New York where he attended public schools and, later, college. He began his military career with the 5th New Jersey Infantry, serving for a short time on the Mexican border in 1916. In 1917 he fought in France, where he served as first lieutenant and captain with the 29th Infantry Division. In 1920 he won his commission as first lieutenant in the regular army. There followed a series of justifyspacer

assignments -- Washington, Fort Benning, Iowa National Guard, Philippine Islands, Fort Snelling, Hawaii, Ohio Military Area, Fort Lewis, back to Washington, and then as a Colonel to the 2d Infantry Division immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While at Fort Dix he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work in planning, creating and training the first army amphibious units and establishing the first amphibious training center. He received his second star at Ubach, Germany, on January 2, 1945.