HOMER GRONINGER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT: SAN FRANCISCO: Maj. Gen. Homer M. Groninger of Port Royal, Pa., announced he was retiring the Army and relinquishing his post as commanding general of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation.
General Groninger is a veteran of 38 years in the Army and served as Port of Embarkation commander in New York for five years before coming to San Francisco in June 1945.
(Photo submitted by Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 1/11/13 - Image Year: 1945
General Groninger was born July 24, 1884 in Milford Township, a son of R. Elliot and Mary (McLaughlin) Groninger.
He was educated in the schools of Milford Township and Port Royal and was graduated from Airy View Academy in 1904. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and following his graduation was appointed a second lieutenant of Cavalry on February 14,1908.
He was assigned to the 5th Cavalry and served at various posts until he joined the Punitive Expedition into Mexico in 1916-1917.
He was instructor at the Officers Training Camp. Plattsburg, N. Y. and at the Infantry School of Arms, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
He served on the War Department General Staff in Washington, D. C. and in France and Germany with the General Staff of American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.
Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he served in the same capacity in Washington, D. C. until January 1922.
He was graduated from the Cavalry School, Fort Riley, Kansas in June 1922 and then entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas completing the course as a "Distinguished Graduate" in June 1923. After service as an instructor in Tactics at the Cavalry School for two years, he entered the Army War College in Washington, D. C. and was graduated in 1926. He then was assigned to the faculty of U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Subsequently he was an instructor at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and 52nd Cavalry Brigade, National Guards, Harrisburg, Pa. After service as Commanding Officer of the 11th Cavalry at Presidio of Monterey, Calif., he was assigned to command the Port of Embarkation, Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1940 and in June 1945 was moved to the West Coast to command the San Francisco Port of Embarkation.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal - period October 1940 - June 1945 and Legion of Merit - June 1945 - May 1946.
His distinguished service citation states in part "This officer had direct charge of the largest movement of troops and supplies overseas in the history of the world."
He was retired December 31, 1945 and came to Port Royal where he lived in a home he built on a farm owned by his family.
He was married to the former Gertrude Pomeroy who died in 1959. Homer died September 25, 1963.
INTERESTING INCIDENT: HOMER GRONINGER MEETS ETHEL MERMAN
During World War II when General Homer Groninger was in charge of troop embarkation from the Brooklyn port, one of his assistants was a communications director named Bob Levitt. Shortly before Bob’s promotion to lieutenant colonel and the General’s staff, Bob had married Broadway singer Ethel Merman. Ethel couldn’t abide officers functions and usually had an excuse not to attend since she was starring in “Panama Hattie”. However she had to leave the show after she became pregnant and her excuse was now gone. Apparently the General almost demanded that Bob’s spouse would attend the next officer’s social function, which she did. According to Brian Kellow in his Biography: “ETHEL MERMAN”, at some point in the evening Mrs. Groninger graciously asked Ethel if she would care to sing. Ethel supposedly retorted, “Get out of my way Cuddles, before I spit in your eye".
Although she probably should have been insulted, apparently Mrs. Groninger laughed it off and later, Bob and Ethel were invited to accompany the General and his wife and other officers on a yacht excursion on the Hudson.
To pass the time the General had arranged a marathon of his favorite card game, old-fashioned rummy. As he shuffled the cards he announced that he never lost at this game. For Ethel this was too much of a challenge to resist, and she proceeded to win every single hand.
(Had the book been written about the General this story may have had a different ending or probably wouldn’t have been included.)
