Charles T. Lanham

Major General Charles Trueman Lanham known as Buck was an author, poet, and professional soldier, winningdecorations in his career. After retiring from the military, he was active in corporate business. He is the model for one of Ernest Hemingways heroes, and in life was a close friend of the author.

Lanham was born in Washington D. C.. He graduated from West Point in 1924. He was a short story writer and published poet as well as a soldier. He included among his many military adventures the command of the U.S. 22d Infantry Regiment in Normandy in July 1944, and was the first American officer to lead a break through the Siegfried Line on September 14, 1944 near Buchet. These developments were described by Hemingway in his article War in the Siegfried Line. He led a breakout in the Battle of the Bulge after surviving a bloody ordeal in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. Lanham earned the Distinguished Service Cross in the Huertgen Forest.

Source: Wikipedia