Major General Charles Frederick Leonard, Jr. died on February 18, 2006 in the medical care unit at The Fairfax retirement community at Ft. Belvoir, VA. He was 92. At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, he won a silver medal in the Modern Pentathlon, scoring the first perfect score-a record that still stands-in the pistol event of that competition.

The son of an Army officer, General Leonard was born at Ft. Snelling, Minnesota and lived on a series of Army posts and then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1935. There he met and later married the late Margery Alden Beukema. They had five children: Captain Charles Frederick Leonard, III, who died in 1967; Michael Leonard, of Washington, D.C., Margaret L. Starbird, of Steilacoom, WA, Colonel (Ret) Henry A. Leonard, of Alexandria, VA, and Herman B. Leonard, of Concord, MA.

He also leaves thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

General Leonard had a distinguished Army career, including command of operational units from platoon through division level. He twice commanded in Korea: the 27th Infantry Regiment from 1953-54, and the First Cavalry Division from 1963-1964. Other key commands included the 1st Battle Group, 15th Infantry Regiment, along the inter-German border, the United States Army Intelligence Command at Ft. Holabird, MD, and the Tenth U.S. Army Corps headquartered in Seattle, WA. His career also included service as an operations officer in the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, Chief of the Weapons Department in the Army's Infantry School, Chief of Staff, 3rd Infantry Division, G-2 (intelligence officer) for the Central Army Group and Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence on the Army Staff. An expert marksman himself and a firm believer in marksmanship training all his life, General Leonard also served in various ways to advance the cause of marksmanship training, including service as Executive Officer of the National Matches in 1955 and 1956 and continued consulting with the U.S. Olympic marksmanship and Pentathlon teams.

Following his retirement from the Army in 1967, General Leonard served as the director of security and facilities at the University of Washington until 1971. Following that he devoted his life to volunteer and community service work, including heading the Washington State Chapter of the American Cancer Society for several years; assisting in recruitment for the Military Academy; and devoting his spare time to outdoor sports and to traveling, visiting and supporting his family and many friends. In 1989 General and Mrs. Leonard returned to the Washington area and settled at The Fairfax. After her death in 1994, General Leonard continued to travel, lead his West Point class's activities and volunteer with civic and charitable groups until his death.

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