Ernest L. Massad

Ernest Louis Massad
Ernest L. "Iron Mike" Massad
Nickname	Iron Mike
Born	December 25, 1908(1908-12-25) Brinkman, Oklahoma
Died	February 20, 1993(1993-02-20) (aged 84) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1933-1968
Rank	Major General
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star (OLC) Purple Heart Silver Arrowhead Presidential Unit Citation

Ernest Louis "Iron Mike" Massad (December 25, 1908 — February 20, 1993) was a college football star, major general of the U.S. Army, and successful oilman.

Biography

Major Ernest L. Massad was born in Brinkman, Oklahoma to Namey and Shafiga Kouri Massad in 1908. Massad graduated from Ardmore High School and enrolled in the University of Oklahoma in the Fall of 1928, where he starred in football, playing as a fullback, linebacker and kicker, and earned the nickname "Iron Mike" for his athletic ability. In 1956, he was chosen by Sports Illustrated magazine for inclusion in a set of "Men of Achievement" who excelled at football in 1931 but by 1956 were "furnishing U.S. leadership in business, medicine, law, theology, diplomacy, teaching, coaching and the military."^[1]

General Massad was a member of Reserve Officers' Training Corps from 1928 to 1932 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1933.

Massad married Mozelle Sockwell on January 30, 1939 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and had a son, Michael Louis, and a daughter, Elaine.

He served in the First Cavalry Division from 1940 to 1943. After the United States entered World War II he also served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He rose to battalion command in the Eleventh Airborne Division, which fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He served as Commander of the 675th Para-Glider Field Artillery Battalion and participated in the New Guinea campaign, and the battles of Leyte and Luzon. He was promoted to Colonel in 1945 and released from active duty in 1946. He returned to Ardmore, Oklahoma and resumed participation in the US Army Reserve.

Massad continued in the Reserve until 1968, where he rose to the rank of general. He had been assigned Assistant Division Commander of the 95th Infantry Division in January 1958 and the following May was promoted to Brigadier General. He was promoted to Major General on December 11, 1962.

He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for reserve affairs in Washington D.C., appointed by the President Lyndon B. Johnson. He served as Chairman of the State of Oklahoma Fair Board and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. He was elected Vice President of the Oklahoma Heritage Association on January 27, 1984.

In 1963, General Massad was named the American Lebanese Man of the Year by the Western Federation of American Syrian and Lebanese Clubs.

He was also an Independent Operator of the E.L. "Mike" Massad Oil Company and a successful businessman now in housing and real estate.

He died died on February 20, 1993, in an Oklahoma City hospital.

Awards and decorations

Among Massad's service awards and decorations were the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Silver Arrowhead, and Presidential Unit Citation.

•   Army Distinguished Service Medal
•   Silver Star
•   Legion of Merit
•   Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster
•   Purple Heart
•   Army Presidential Unit Citation

References

1. ^ "1931-56: Men Of Achievement," Sports Illustrated, 1956-12-24.

• Caldwell, Tom (1986), From the Hills of Lebanon: The Syrian-Lebanese in Oklahoma, The Chronicles of Oklahoma
• Milligan, James C. (1992), Iron Mike: The Life of General Ernest L. Massad, Western Heritage Books
• Dozier, Ray (2006), The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia, Sports Publishing LLC
• Southwell, Kristina L. (2002), Guide to Manuscripts in the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press
• Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), February 22, 1993
• Sports Illustrated, December 24, 1956
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
• OU Army History

Persondata
Name	Massad, Ernest L.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 25, 1908
Place of birth	Brinkman, Oklahoma
Date of death	February 20, 1993
Place of death	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma