Frank William Milburn was born on January 11, 1892, in Jasper, Dubois County, Indiana, to Richard M. Milburn and Elizabeth N. Fowler Milburn. He later married Amanda M. Bamberger Milburn. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1914. During World War I, he served in the Panama Canal Zone. In the years that followed, Milburn held a series of infantry assignments, including posts with the 5th, 33rd, 15th, and 28th Infantry Regiments. From 1926 to 1930, he served as head football coach for the Montana Grizzlies and also managed the university’s baseball team in 1927 and 1928.

A 1933 graduate of the Command and General Staff School, Milburn rose to the rank of brigadier general in early 1942 and was appointed commander of the U.S. 83rd Infantry Division that August. Just a month later, in September 1942, he was promoted to major general. He led the 83rd Division until December 1943, when he assumed command of the newly organized U.S. XXI Corps. Milburn continued to lead XXI Corps for the rest of World War II in Europe as part of the U.S. Seventh Army under General Alexander Patch, where his corps played a pivotal role in the defeat of German forces in the Colmar Pocket in February 1945.

After the war, Milburn’s command of XXI Corps concluded in July 1945. He then briefly served as acting commander of both the Seventh Army and the XXIII Corps. From November 1945 to June 1946, he led the U.S. V Corps, followed by command of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division from June 1946 to May 1949. Promoted to lieutenant general in 1949, Milburn went on to serve as deputy commander of U.S. Army Europe until 1950.

During the Korean War, Milburn temporarily took command of the U.S. IX Corps in August 1950, and from September 1950 to June 1951, he commanded the U.S. I Corps, overseeing the invasion of North Korea in October and November 1950. Following the Chinese intervention in December, Milburn briefly served as acting commander of the U.S. Eighth Army for two days, until General Matthew Ridgway assumed command after the death of General Walton Walker.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Milburn commanded five U.S. Army corps—a rare accomplishment. He retired from military service in April 1952. In 1953, Milburn also served as the athletic director at the University of Montana. He died on October 25, 1962, and is now buried in the Fort Missoula Cemetery, Missoula, Missoula County, Montana, USA.

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