Brigadier General Felix Sparks (born August 2, 1917, San Antonio, Texas) was the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army which was the first Allied force to enter Dachau concentration camp and liberate its prisoners. A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Counties Bexar County Government  - Mayor Phil Hardberger Area  - City  412. ... The 45th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. // Activated: In 1924 as a National Guard Division in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... The main entrance just after the liberation Memorial at the camp, 1997. ...

Sparks grew up in Miami, Arizona, where his father worked for a copper mining company. In 1935, after unsuccessfully seeking jobs in the shipyards of Corpus Christi, Texas and San Francisco, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Miami is a town located in Gila County, Arizona, United States. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Counties Nueces County Government  - Mayor Henry Garrett Area  - City 1,192. ... Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...

After leaving the army, Sparks graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 1947. He practiced law in Delta, Colorado and was elected district attorney there. He lost his bid for reelection in 1952, but Governor Ed Johnson appointed him to fill an unexpired term on the Colorado Supreme Court. At the end of that term, he returned to his law practice in Delta. The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder, UCB officially[2]; Colorado and CU colloquially) is the flagship university of the University of Colorado System in Boulder, Colorado. ... Delta is a city located in Delta County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,400. ... A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ... The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. ...

Sparks subsequently joined the United States National Guard, serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and retired in 1979 having attained the rank of Brigadier General. The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air National Guard). ... President Kennedy in a crowded Cabinet Room during the Cuban Missile Crisis. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

External links

• "An Oral History: Felix L. Sparks", The Colorado Lawyer, October 1998
• Personal account by Felix L. Sparks Brigadier General of the liberation of Dachau
• www.45thinfantrydivision.com
• Clips from the 1990 documentary "The Liberation of KZ Dachau"; includes interview of Felix Sparks
• Thomas Farragher, "Vengeance at Dachau", Boston Globe, July 2, 2001

References

Emajean Jordan Beuchner, Sparks. Metairie, LA: Thunderbird Press, Inc., 1991.