Ralph A. George, early member of the National Ski Patrol

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021602432.html

Ralph A. George, 79, Versatile Army Lawman

By Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 17, 2006; B06

Ralph Abdo George, who lived a life of intrigue and diplomacy as an
Army officer, who climbed mountains and dived to the depths of the sea
and who founded a Washington area heavy-construction business, died
Jan. 20 of a heart attack at his Silver Spring home. He was 79.

A decorated veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam and a career
military police officer, Col. George was described years ago in the
Seattle Times as "probably the most versatile and well-traveled lawman
outside of Ian Fleming's fictional James Bond, old agent '007.' "

After enlisting at 18, he trained as a liaison to the Soviet military
and took language courses. He was a by-the-book MP in Garmisch,
Germany, when he unwittingly arrested a Bavarian prince at a fuel
depot. He also locked up the crew of the first B-29 to fly nonstop
across the Atlantic after they became too raucous in a bar one night.

At the close of World War II, he was a young lieutenant when he was
ordered to take a rifle squad with him and escort a train full of
supplies to Soviet-occupied Germany. At the rendezvous point, the
Russians unloaded the train and a Russian officer ordered the engineer
to drive the train farther into Russian-occupied territory. Ever
vigilant, the lieutenant knew he could not let that happen.

"So he unholstered his pistol and pointed it at the engineer and told
him in no uncertain terms that he would not drive the train into
Russian territory," said his grandson, Michael Jon Jeffries, recounting
the story his grandfather told him. "At this, the Russian officer
pulled his pistol and pointed it at Papa and again ordered the train to
be moved. Not to be outdone, Papa's rifle squad immediately leveled
their rifles at the Russian officer. Papa then wagged his finger at the
Russian and said, 'Naughty, naughty!' "

Jeffries said that when the locomotive was returned, a day later than
expected, his grandfather was reprimanded by his commander, who then
added with a grin, "George, you were the only one who brought their
train back."

From the Cold War through the end of his service, Col. George continued
to be a go-to guy for critical missions. In 1952, during the occupation
of Austria by the four world powers -- the United States, Britain,
France and the Soviet Union -- he was the U.S. representative for the
jointly controlled international sector of Vienna. He also was
appointed U.S. governor of Spandau, the allied prison in Berlin for
major Nazi war criminals, including Rudolf Hess and Adm. Karl Donitz,
the last leader of the German Third Reich after Hitler.

In Vietnam, he was a senior adviser to the Vietnamese provost marshal
general. A skilled scuba diver, he dived for bodies and aircraft off
the coast of Vietnam. He was chief instructor at the Military Police
School at Fort Gordon in Georgia, teaching about the treatment of
prisoners of war and the rules of the Geneva Conventions.

He spent his last three years in the military as chief of the Armed
Forces Police in the Pacific Northwest before retiring in 1967. Among
his honors was the Bronze Star.

Col. George was a native of New Kensington, Pa. He graduated from the
University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in military science and
received Phi Kappa Phi honors.

He moved to Silver Spring after retiring from the Army and founded the
Maryland office of a family-owned heavy-construction equipment
business, George Associates.

An expert in American-Russian relations, Col. George was a founder and
member of the board of governors of the Friends of the Russian Cultural
Center in Washington. He and his wife often held dinners at their home
for embassy diplomats and others.

In May, he was among nine U.S. veterans invited by the Russia Embassy
to travel to Moscow, where he was awarded the 60th-anniversary medal,
issued by President Vladimir Putin, commemorating the victory in
Europe. At the VE Summit ceremony, he shook hands with President Bush.
He also had received the 50th-anniversary medal, issued by President
Boris Yeltsin, and a 40th-anniversary medal.

Col. George loved guiding his boat around the world and planning
cruises for the Solomons Island Yacht Club. He was twice named cruiser
of the year.

A man with an adventurous spirit, he was an early member of the
National Ski Patrol, helping to rescue stranded skiers. He was one of
the earliest scuba instructors in the country and once owned a dive
shop. He also climbed to the top of Mount Rainier in Washington state.

Col. George was a trustee of the Fraternal Order of Police, the
International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Retired Military
Police Officers.

Mike wrote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021602432.html

Ralph A. George, 79, Versatile Army Lawman


We're losing the WWII generation - I miss them; my heroes one and all.

Has anyone else read Minnie Dole's book about the beginnings of the ski
patrol and the selling of the idea for the 1st Mountain Div to
unreceptive army brass?

lal_truckee wrote:

Mike wrote:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021602432.html


Ralph A. George, 79, Versatile Army Lawman


We're losing the WWII generation - I miss them; my heroes one and all.

Has anyone else read Minnie Dole's book about the beginnings of the ski
patrol and the selling of the idea for the 1st Mountain Div to
unreceptive army brass?

No, but I like 10th Mountain history. My great-uncle was one of the
originals.

Mary Malmros wrote:


lal_truckee wrote:

Mike wrote:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021602432.html


Ralph A. George, 79, Versatile Army Lawman


We're losing the WWII generation - I miss them; my heroes one and all.

Has anyone else read Minnie Dole's book about the beginnings of the
ski patrol and the selling of the idea for the 1st Mountain Div to
unreceptive army brass?

No, but I like 10th Mountain history. My great-uncle was one of the
originals.

The book is _Adventures In Skiing_ by Minot (Minnie) Dole and that "1"
in the post above is, of course, a "10" - I'm surprised that the "0"
seems to be invisible; must be bit rot or something.

Has a foreward by Lowell Thomas; very interesting book. Apparently he
first help found the ski patrol, then took his list of patrollers to the
army and convinced them (after no small effort) that the patrol members
could be the nucleus of a Mountain Division.

One of my copies is inscribed with "no sitzmarks" and signed by Minnie.