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Lt. Gen. Kinnard dies at age 93

Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard, a giant figure in the history of Army aviation and airmobile operations, died Monday in Arlington, Va., after a long illness.

Kinnard, 93, was an authority on airborne operations before he became a rated aviator in 1962. A year later, he organized and commanded the 11th Air Assault Division as it tested air mobility concepts widely used in Vietnam, and that remain a basis of Army aviation techniques and tactics.

Kinnard, a 1939 graduate of West Point, subsequently commanded the Army’s first airmobile division, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in the mid-1960s during its organization and deployment to Vietnam.

After nearly 40 months in command of the division, Kinnard briefly served as commander of I Field Force in Vietnam, and later as chief of force development for the Army Staff at the Pentagon.

He retired in 1969 after two years as commander of the Combat Developments Command, Fort Belvoir, Va.

An infantry officer, Kinnard began his Army career with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, a unit he later would command.

He participated in the division’s airborne operations in Normandy and Holland in 1944, and at age 29, he was a full colonel and division G-3 during its heroic stand at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Kinnard’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

In 1974, Kinnard was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame for his services to that community from 1960 to 1969.

A public viewing is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Demaine Funderal Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, Va. The funeral will take place March 19 at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer, Va.