GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Middle Tennessee veteran who served with the U.S. Army in World War II has been laid to rest.

Gen. Doyle Tidwell, Jr. died in mid-July at the age of 98. An honor unit from Fort Campbell joined family and friends to lay him to rest at the Spring Hill Cemetery in Madison, complete with a horse-drawn caisson.

“Dad was born in 1925, graduated from high school in 1943 and was drafted two weeks after he got out of high school,” recalled his son, Bill.

After Officer Candidate School, Tidwell was sent to the South Pacific to serve as a combat infantry officer in WWII, launching his lengthy military career.

He spent four years serving in WWII as a first lieutenant combat platoon leader in the Philippines, and his specialty was flame-throwing. After the war, he became part of the occupation Army in Japan.

Tidwell enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1947, but he was reactivated during the Korean conflict. He spent decades working his way up the ranks to become a two-star general before retiring in 1983, despite being given the opportunity to receive a third star.

“In 1947 he got out of the active Army and moved into the Reserve, came back to Goodlettsville, and got married,” said Bill. “Mom was also from Goodlettsville, they met in high school in Goodlettsville and got married in 1947. This past April, they celebrated 76 years of marriage,” remembered Bill Tidwell. “Dad came out of World War II resolutely against war. He could not fathom why anyone would entertain themselves watching war on tv or a movie.”

Bill continued, “The thing that all of us, the inspiration that we all derived from dad, was the fact that he was absolutely unbending in his principles.”

Tidwell is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was also a founding member of Goodpasture Christian School, serving on the board for more than 40 years, and an active member of the Rivergate Church of Christ.