VMI Archives Historical Rosters: Simon Bolivar Buckner

Historical Rosters Database

Simon Bolivar Buckner

Roster ID 5163
This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.

First Name:	Simon
Middle Name:	Bolivar
Last Name:	Buckner
Suffix:
Affiliation:	Class of 1906
Biography & Genealogy:	Born on July 18, 1886. Matriculated on September 1, 1902 from Hart County, KY. Resigned on May 1, 1904. Died in World War II. Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., U.S. Army was killed in action on June 18, 1945, on Okinawa while commanding the Tenth U.S. Army. Buckner died instantly on the front lines when he was hit by a Japanese shell while observing an attack by the Marine 8th Regimental Combat Team. He was the first U.S. Army commander in chief to be killed in World War II.

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The database currently includes the names of all enrolled students (both graduates and non-graduates) from VMI's opening in 1839 through the World War II era. In addition, you will find biographical and genealogical information, including a summary of military service during the Civil War, for many individuals who attended in the 19th century. The database also includes some historical Faculty and Board of Visitors members, as well as U. S. Army students sent to VMI for training during World Wars I and II. The latter groups were not VMI cadets. For further information about an ancestor listed in the database, please contact the VMI Archives. We can check the complete record, let you know if other information available, and provide copies of original documents. This database is for historical research. We do not release information about living individuals.