Merritte Weber Ireland | |
Birth Date: | 31 May 1867 |
Birth Place: | Columbia City, Indiana |
Death Place: | Washington, D.C. |
Placeofburial Label: | Place of burial |
Allegiance: | United States of America |
Branch: | United States Army |
Serviceyears: | 1891–1931 |
Rank: | Major General |
Commands: | Surgeon General of the US Army |
Battles: | Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I |
Awards: | Distinguished Service Medal |
Merritte Weber Ireland (May 31, 1867 – July 5, 1952) was the 23rd U.S. Army Surgeon General, serving in that capacity from October 4, 1918, to May 31, 1931.
Ireland was born on May 31, 1867, in Columbia City, Indiana,[1] a town in the upper end of the Wabash Valley in Whitley County, Indiana. His father, Dr. Martin Ireland, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and his mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Fellers, came from Waynesboro, Virginia.
He graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine, receiving an M.D. degree in 1890.[1] The following year was spent in Jefferson Medical College where again he earned an M.D. degree in 1891.
He served as a surgeon with the 45th U.S. Volunteer Infantry in 1899 and honorably discharged in 1901.[1]
In 1903, he was commissioned as a surgeon into the Medical Corps.[1]
During World War I, Ireland served as chief surgeon of the American Expeditionary Forces.[2] He departed France in October 1918 and was succeeded by his deputy, Walter McCaw.[2] He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service during the war, with the medal's citation reading:
He served as Surgeon General from October 4, 1918, to May 31, 1931.[1]
Ireland died on July 5, 1952.[1]
Major General Ireland's ribbon bar:
1st Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal | Philippine Campaign Medal | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd Row | Army of Cuban Occupation Medal | Mexican Service Medal | World War I Victory Medal with four Battle Clasps | ||||||
3rd Row | Companion of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom) | Commander of the Legion of Honor (France) | Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland) | ||||||
Regular Army | 4 May 1891 | |||
Regular Army | 4 May 1896 | |||
17 August 1899 (Honorably discharged from Volunteers on 30 June 1901.) | ||||
Regular Army | 3 August 1903 | |||
Regular Army | 1 May 1911 | |||
Regular Army | 15 May 1917 | |||
1 May 1918 | ||||
Regular Army | 8 August 1918 | |||
Retired List | 31 May 1931 |