John E. Sloan

John Emmitt Sloan (31 January 1887 – 15 October 1972) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of World War I and World War II, he attained the rank of major general as commander of the 88th Infantry Division during the Second World War. Sloan served from 1910 until retiring in 1946, and his awards and decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, and Legion of Merit.

Sloan was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina and attended Furman University before beginning studies at the United States Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1910. He served in the United States Navy from 1910 to 1911, then transferred his military membership to the United States Army. Initially assigned to the Coast Artillery, he was subsequently reassigned to the Field Artillery. During World War I, he rose in rank to temporary colonel and command of the 30th Field Artillery Regiment. After the war, he continued to serve in command and staff assignments as he advanced through the ranks, including command of a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp in Kansas and command of the Fourth Army Umpire School that trained evaluators for World War II's Louisiana Maneuvers and Carolina Maneuvers.

During the Second World War, Sloan organized and trained the 88th Infantry Division, which he led in combat in Italy until illness compelled his return to the United States. He was then appointed president of the Army Decorations Board, which considered and acted on recommendations for awards to recognize wartime heroism. Sloan retired from the army in 1946. He died in Asheville, North Carolina on 15 October 1972 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.