U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bradley Rhen
Retired Air Force Col. Frank Steer
Oldest Living West Point Grad Celebrates 102nd Birthday
By Army Sgt. Bradley Rhen
U.S. Army Hawaii Public Affairs
Retired Col. Frank Steer, the oldest living graduate of West Point and a World War I veteran, celebrated his 102nd birthday Jan. 12 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Steer, who was the first Provost Marshal of the Air Force, graduated from the academy in 1925. At the celebration Jan. 12, he received an honorary promotion to the rank of provost marshal general.
In honor of the occasion, Hawaii governor Linda Lingle proclaimed Sunday “General Steer Day.” State Representative Guy Ontai, a 1978 graduate of West Point, was on hand to read the proclamation.
Jack Miller, president of the Hawaii Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, said it’s a rare historic moment to be in the presence of a veteran of both World Wars.
“Not everyone gets to be 102,” Miller said. “He’s been a great patriot. He’s worked very hard. He served under General Pershing and General MacArthur, and it’s a special honor to have him in our chapter.”
Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson, commander of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) and U.S. Army, Hawaii, attended the celebration and said it’s important for current service members to honor veterans like Steer.
“He’s had a tremendous career of service to the United States of America, the Army and the Air Force,” Olson said. “And he’s the oldest living graduate of the United States Military Academy. It’s absolutely incredible that the oldest living graduate of the United States Military Academy is here in Hawaii this close to us so we can help celebrate his birthday.”
As a birthday present of sorts, Olson gave Steer a black beret with two-star major general rank pinned on.
“The beret has got a pretty long history in the armed forces worldwide,” Olson said. “It’s something I knew he’d appreciate because he’s seen berets on a lot of people from a lot of different forces. I was honored to place a beret on his head.”
Steer was born Jan. 12, 1901, in the Indian Territory that later became part of Oklahoma. His father was a member of the National Guard and Steer learned to shoot at the age of 8.
He enlisted in the Army when he was 17 years old and, after training, was shipped off to World War I. He was assigned to the 2nd Army Defensive Area under Gen. John Pershing and saw combat action in France, including the Meus Argonne Offensive.
After the war, Steer served in occupation duty in France. He was recently awarded the French Legion of Honor by France for his service.
“I was a good educational student, but a lousy disciplinarian, graduating number 10 in mathematics and 243 out of 244 in discipline,” Steer said of his time at West Point. “After arriving at West Point as a combat veteran of the ‘Great War,’ I called the upper classmen ‘slackers’ and ‘draft dodgers.’ Thereafter, two of the best hazers of the upper classmen were assigned to me and were close to my heels at all formations.”
After occupation duty, Steer was discharged from the Army. He was not out of the Army for long, though, when the governor of Oklahoma appointed him to West Point.
Steer still owed 33 area tours in 1999 when he received an official pardon by West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Dan Christman on his 98th birthday.
After graduation in 1925, Steer was assigned to teach math at West Point.
He served in the Philippines during the 1930s and was later assigned to Hawaii as the Provost Marshal of the Hawaiian Department. This was his assignment on the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on O'ahu, after which he became the martial law Provost Marshal.
Later, he was appointed Mid-Pacific Provost Marshal and was responsible for thousands of prisoners of war.
In 1947, he was assigned to the Pentagon and was appointed as the first Provost Marshal of the Air Force.
After 32 years in uniform, Steer retired on June 30, 1950, and he now lives in Kailua.
As for his secrets to longevity, Steer had a few simple recommendations.
“Chew your food,” he told reporters. “It’s more important than anything else. If you don’t chew your food well, your digestive system won’t be able to get all the nutrients out of it.”
Steer also recommends exercising mind and body and simply, “Wake up every day.”
I'll take the oversized grown dog...uh....I meant the pony! LOL!