Charles Leonard
| Charles Leonard medal table |
||
|---|---|---|
 Award ceremony at the Olympic Games in Berlin. On the podium (from left to right): Charles Leonard (2nd), Gotthard Handrick (1st) and Silvano Abbà (3rd) |
||
 United States
|
||
 Olympic games
|
||
| silver | Berlin 1936 | singles |
Charles Fredrick Leonard, Jr. ( February 23, 1913 in Fort Snelling , † February 18, 2006 in Fort Belvoir , Virginia ) was an American soldier and athlete who was active in modern pentathlon .
Charles Leonard was born the son of an army officer and grew up in various military bases. He received his own training as a soldier until 1935 at the West Point Military Academy , where he distinguished himself as a swimmer and runner . In 1936 he started the modern pentathlon at the Olympic Games in Berlin and won the silver medal. He set an absolute record in shooting with 200 points , a record that was only achieved again at the 1980 Olympic Games by the Swedish pentathlete George Horvath . In letters to his friends and relatives, he warned against Hitler's Germany. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl is said to have been so enthusiastic about his appearance that she tried to persuade him to stay in Germany.
During World War II , Leonard was an instructor at West Point and commanded two units stationed in Korea. From 1958 to 1959 he also stayed in Germany. From 1964 to 1965 he was chief of the Army Intelligence Command at Fort Holabrid , then commander of the 10th Army Corps at Fort Lawton in Seattle . In 1967 he retired as major general . His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit .
Leonard was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Web links
- Charles Leonard in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
- Charles Leonard, 92, Olympic Sharpshooter, Dies. The New York Times, March 2, 2006, accessed August 25, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Charles Frederick Leonard, Jr. Major General, United States Army. arlingtoncemetery.net, accessed August 25, 2014 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leonard, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leonard, Charles Fredrick Leonard Jr. (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soldier and modern pentathlon |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 23, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Snelling |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 18, 2006 |
| Place of death | Fort Belvoir |