James Herbert “Jimmy” Leach was born on April 7, 1922, in Houston, Harris County, Texas. He was the son of David Watts Leach Sr. and Lena Ellen Curry Leach. He was married to Marion Hiers Floyd Leach. He was a career United States Army officer who served with distinction in World War II and the Vietnam War.

During World War II, he served as a tank officer with the 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, under Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams. He participated in the advance across France, the Lorraine Campaign, the Battle of Arracourt, and the Battle of the Bulge. On December 24, 1944, his actions at Bigonville, Luxembourg, earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, and he received five Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during the European campaigns.

After the war, Leach continued his Army career, serving as a U.S. Army liaison in South Korea in 1948. During the Vietnam War, he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from April to December 1969 and received three Silver Stars. From 1970 to 1972, he served as Chief of the U.S. Army Armor Branch, where he helped wounded officers, including future Gen. Frederick M. Franks Jr., continue their military careers. Leach retired as a colonel in 1974 and later worked for Teledyne.

In 1983, Leach became Honorary Colonel of the 37th Armor Regiment and remained closely involved in preserving the unit’s history. He returned to France in September 2009 for ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Lorraine. Leach died on December 17, 2009, at the age of 87, and was buried in the Beaufort National Cemetery, Beaufort, Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA. He was posthumously awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2010.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, en.wikipedia.org