GEN THOMAS SANDS A HIGH U.S. OFFICER IN EUROPE IN 1960'S (original) (raw)

GEN THOMAS SANDS A HIGH U.S. OFFICER IN EUROPE IN 1960'S

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/10/obituaries/gen-thomas-sands-a-high-us-officer-in-europe-in-1960-s.html

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Nov. 10, 1984

GEN THOMAS SANDS A HIGH U.S. OFFICER IN EUROPE IN 1960'S

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Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Sands, retired, a former member of the War Department General Staff and an assistant chief of staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers (Europe) in the early 1960's, died Tuesday at his home in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 77 years old.

General Sands, a 1929 graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, retired in 1966 as chief of the Army Audit Agency.

He served much of his career in staff and administrative positions, rising to the rank of major general in 1952.

From 1952 until 1955, he was assistant chief of staff of the Allied Land Forces in Central Europe assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Honored by Britain and France

He then became chief of staff of the Eighth Army, commanding general of the Seventh Infantry Division and deputy commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College.

His decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with Bronze Star and Cluster. He also received honors from the British, French, Belgian and South Korean Governments.

A world-class fencer and specialist with the epee, he was a member of the United States international fencing team in the British-American matches in 1934 and a member of the United States Olympic fencing team in Berlin in 1936. He was also the national Army- Navy dueling sword champion from 1935 to 1937 and captain of the United States international fencing team for the world championship matches in Paris in 1937. He was elected to the Fencing Hall of Fame in 1978.

General Sands is survived by a granddaughter.

Burial will be at West Point at 2 P.M. Thursday.

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