Daniel Boone -- Military Leader, Frontiersman, Explorer, Politician

Born: November 2, 1734
Died: 1820

Daniel Boone is most well-known for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky. He was a militia officer during the Revolutionary War, and the French and Indian Wars. During his service, he was promoted to Colonel. Elected three times to the Virginia General Assembly during the Revolutionary War, and fought at the Battle of Blue Lick, in 1782, this was one of the last battles of the War. Boone died of natural causes in Missouri.

Lt. General Mikhail Kalashnikov – Tank Commander, Arms Designer

Born: November 10, 1919
Died: ---

In 1938, Kalashnikov was conscripted into the Red Army as a Tank Mechanic and was soon promoted to Tank Commander. He was wounded in 1941. While he was in the hospital, he heard the soldiers’ complaints about their field weapons. He designed the SKS, and submitted it to the Red Army. They accepted and utilized the design. In 1947, Kalashnikov designed the AK-47. It became the most famous of all Infantry Field Rifles. Years later he was quoted as saying, “I’m proud of my invention, but I’m sad that it is being used by Terrorists…I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work – for example a lawn mower.”

General George Smith Patton – Military Leader

Born: November 11, 1885
Died: 1945

Patton’s actual military experience and education began during the Pancho Villa Expedition, and continued through World War I, and culminated at the end of World War II. He was the central figure in the development of Armored Warfare, and integrating the use of Armor with the Infantry.

Brigadier General Joseph Hooker – Military Leader, Public Figure

Born: November 13, 1814
Died: 1879

After Hooker completed his studies at the US Military Academy, he served in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American War. He was promoted to Brigadier General, at the start of the Civil War. Hooker showed himself as a soldier of distinction at the Battle of Williamsburg, and for leading the Union charge at the Battle of Antietam, where he was wounded. Later, he was given command of the Army of the Potomac.

General Erwin Rommel – Military Leader

Born: November 15, 1891
Died: 1944

Rommel was one of the most highly decorated German Officers in World War II. His leadership was respected by those under his command, as well as, the enemy forces. As Commander of the 7^th Panzer Division, he won many accolades during the invasion of France, and was dubbed with the name ‘Desert Fox’ for his tactics during the North African Campaign. For his humanity and professionalism in his treatment of Prisoners of War, Rommel was considered a loose cannon by Hitler, and was also suspected as being a part of the group of officers trying to kill him. Rommel was forced to commit suicide in exchange for the lives of his family.

Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard – Naval Aviator, Test Pilot, NASA Astronaut

Born: November 18, 1923
Died: 1998

He was the first American, and second person to travel into space. Shepard was the Commander of the Apollo 14 Mission, and was the fifth person to walk on the moon. He later served as the Chief Astronaut of NASA’s Astronaut Corps, and he headed up the admiration, training, and operations of the Corps. He passed away in 1998 of Leukemia.

Otto the Great – Military Leader, Holy Roman Emperor

Born: November 23, 912
Died: 973

Otto I, a.k.a. Otto the Great, became the First Holy Roman Emperor since Charlemagne (that is about two hundred years). Pope John XII feared for his life over his policies within Christendom, and crowned Otto I as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and protector of the Church. Otto the Great consolidated the German Reich. As Emperor, he put down numerous revolts and extended the Empire’s boundaries. Pope John XII became concerned when Otto attempted to increase secular influence over the Papacy, and he openly encouraged revolt against Otto I. The Emperor had the Pope dispatched and replaced him with Pope Leo VIII.

General Alexander Suvorov – Generalissimo of the Russian Empire

Born: November 24, 1730
Died: 1800

General Suvorov, among military experts, is considered one of the top Military Leaders in history. This could be due to the fact that he, and his troops, never lost a battle. His wins are estimated between 63 to 93, and his losses were zero. He is famous for his Military Manuel, The Science of Victory
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Major General Artemas Ward – Military Leader in American Revolutionary War, Congressman

Born: November 26, 1729
Died: 1800

Ward’s first military command began during the French and Indian War. He was in command, as a Major in the 3^rd Regiment of Worcester County. He was then promoted to Colonel of the militias of Middlesex and Worchester Counties. Because of his alliances with Samuel Adams and John Hancock in speaking out against the acts of the British Parliament, his commission in the Militia was revoked.

In 1775, Ward was commissioned by the Continental Congress as a Major General. He was the second in command to General George Washington over the Continental Army. His responsibility was to form local militias into an army. After the war, he was elected to the US House of Representatives for the State of Massachusetts.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill – Prime Minister of the UK, Military Leader, Historian, Artist, Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Honorary Citizen of the USA

Born: November 30, 1874
Died: 1965

Churchill is considered, by most military experts, as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20^th Century. He started his military career as an officer, and saw action in British Colonial India, The Sudan, and The Second Boer War. During World War I, Churchill served as Commander of the 6^th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusilier, later returning to government service as Secretaries of State for War, and Air, as well as, Minister of Munitions.

Churchill served two terms as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. His first term was during most of WW II. During this time, Sir Winston Churchill and the United Kingdom stood alone against Hitler while most European Countries acquiesced. Churchill and Britain stood alone for almost two years, until the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941.