Glen Carl Long was born in Roger Mills County. While at Oklahoma A&M College, through National Guard and ROTC, he began a long and distinguished military career which spanned more than 30 years and three wars.
As a battalion commander in the 363rd Infantry Regiment, he held the distinction of being the youngest lieutenant colonel in World War II at age 25. He was instrumental in the capture of Monticelli Ridge in Italy by personally rounding up more than two hundred soldiers and leading them up the ridge to assist in repelling a German counterattack.
After the war he served in Austria, coordinating the migration of Jewish people who wanted to settle in Israel. He served as a regimental commander of the 21st Infantry in occupation following the Korean War, and later was assistant division commander of the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Following that assignment, he served on the staff of the "Phoenix Project," a highly successful covert operation. Retiring in California, Long always took great pride in his Oklahoma heritage. He died at Fort Ord, California, in 1988 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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