Who was the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

General Omar Bradley was head of the First Army and led the troops to a victory in the Normandy Campaign. In 1948 Bradley succeeded Eisenhower as US Army Chief of Staff. After the war he was also the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he also was the head of the Veterans Administration. Awards during his life time included the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

Bradley was a star baseball player in high school and in college. He refused offers to play pro baseball for a career in the army. After graduation and between wars Bradley became an instructor of mathematics at West Point.