Joseph May Swing

Joseph May Swing

Nickname(s)	"Jumpin' Joe"
Born	February 28, 1894 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Died	December 9, 1984 (aged 90) San Francisco, California, United States
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1915–1954
Rank	Lieutenant General
Unit	Field Artillery Branch
Commands held	11th Airborne Division I Corps Sixth Army
Battles/wars	Mexican Expedition World War I World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit Bronze Star (3) Air Medal (2)
Other work	Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, 1954-1962

Lieutenant General Joseph May Swing (February 28, 1894 – December 9, 1984) was a senior United States Army officer, who fought in World War I and commanded the 11th Airborne Division during the campaign to liberate the Philippines in World War II.

Joseph May Swing was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 28, 1894, son of Mary Ann (née Snellgrove) and Joseph Swing. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation in 1915 (as part of "the class the stars fell on"). In 1916, he served in General Pershing's Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico. During World War I, he served in France with the 1st Infantry Division. After returning to the United States, he served as an aide to General Peyton March. He married General March’s daughter Josephine on July 8, 1918.

After the war, Swing continued his career in the artillery, graduating with honors from the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1927 he graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and in 1935 he graduated from the U.S. Army War College in Washington DC. From 1938 to 1940 he served as chief of staff for the 2nd Infantry Division, then as commander of artillery for the 1st Cavalry Division.