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Peter J. Boylan

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Peter J. Boylan
Boylan in 1988
Born(1936-05-18)May 18, 1936
Portage, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedNovember 12, 2023(2023-11-12) (aged 87)
Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1961–1992
RankMajor General
Commands10th Mountain Division
1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry
Battles / warsVietnam War
United States invasion of Grenada
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal (3)
Purple Heart
Air Medal

Peter James Boylan Jr. (May 18, 1936 – November 12, 2023) was a major general of the United States Army.

Early life and education

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Boylan was born in Portage, Wisconsin, on May 18, 1936.[1][2][3][4][5] He was a 1954 graduate of Portage High School and was inducted into their Hall of Fame.[6] Boylan then studied at the University of Wisconsin for a few semesters.[7] He went on to earn a B.S. degree in military science from the United States Military Academy. Boylan graduated from the University of Michigan with an M.S. degree in 1969 and an M.S.E. degree in 1970, having studied aerospace engineering and systems engineering. He also studied at the Army Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College.[4][1][5] Boylan later received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Flagler College.

Military career

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Boylan enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 10, 1956, before being appointed to the U.S. Military Academy the following year, graduating in 1961.[3][7] He then went on to serve two tours of duty in the Vietnam War.

In 1983, Boylan took part in the Invasion of Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division. He later served in the Office of the Joint Chief of Staff at The Pentagon, Deputy Inspector General of the Army and commander of the 10th Mountain Division. Boylan would also return to the United States Military Academy as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 1969 to 1972 and Commandant of Cadets from 1984 to 1987. He was on the board of trustees for the United States Military Academy. He retired from the army in 1992 and was appointed president of Georgia Military College later that year.

Awards Boylan received during his time in the army include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters and two Valor devices, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Ranger tab and the Master Parachutist Badge.[4][5]

Personal life

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Boylan married Kathleen E. "Kathy" Costa on July 1, 1961. They had two sons and three daughters.[1][8] Both sons, one daughter and a grandson graduated from West Point. Their son Colonel Gregory L. Boylan has made a military career teaching at West Point, following in footsteps of his uncle Brigadier General John J. Costa (May 7, 1925 – August 6, 2013) who retired on May 31, 1989, as the last veteran of World War II on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.[9][10]

Boylan was a cantor at his local Roman Catholic church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

Boylan resided in Milledgeville, Georgia, with his wife. He died there on November 12, 2023, at the age of 87.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Brigadier General Peter J. Boylan". Army Executive Biographies. Headquarters, Department of the Army. 1985. p. 513. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "MG Peter J. Boylan Biography". Georgia Military College. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  3. ^ a b U.S. Army Register: Active and Retired List. Vol. I. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army. January 1, 1966. p. 53. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Class of 1961—Register of Graduates". Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802–1971 of the United States Military Academy. The West Point Alumni Foundation Inc. 1971. p. 715. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy. West Point, New York: Association of Graduates U.S.M.A. 1989. p. 654. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Major General Peter James Boylan (PHS 1954)" (PDF). Greater Portage Youth Education Foundation. November 24, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Cultivating The Bond Between Soldiers Through Leadership, Character, And A Positive Command Climate". West Point Center for Oral History. February 2, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  8. ^ ""Nothing Tougher Than An Army Wife": Reflecting On Three Generations Of A West Point Family". West Point Center for Oral History. February 2, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Garcia, Jorge (May 27, 2021). "Boylan Lineage Of Service Continues, Graduate Follows In Father's Footsteps". U.S. Military Academy. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  10. ^ "Brigadier General John J. Costa (and the Class of 1949) Retires: Last World War II Veteran on Active Duty". Assembly. Vol. XLVIII, no. 3. October 1989. p. 24. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Community mourns passing of Maj. Gen. Peter Boylan
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