2023 Hall of Fame Inductee
The University of North Georgia (1950)
Col. (Ret.) Ben Studdard Malcom was born in 1928 in Monroe, Georgia. He attended North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia) and received his Bachelor’s of Science in Education in 1950. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry.
Malcom conducted his initial training at Fort Knox, KY and deployed immediately to serve in the Korean War. In 1952, Ben was assigned to the 8240th Army Unit (later Combined Command for Reconnaissance Activities, Korea) and assigned the mission of leading Korean partisan units deep behind enemy lines.
Malcom was the only American assigned to train, plan operations, and lead elements of the 4th Guerrilla Battalion, better known as “The White Tigers.” Working in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, he and this unit planned and executed raids into North Korea.
Due to his leadership in battle during one of these raids he earned the Silver Star Medal, our Nation’s third highest award for valor. Malcom is credited with, and is known throughout the Special Operations community, as laying the foundation for today’s Special Forces, the Green Berets.
Malcom served as a military advisor with the 23rd Vietnamese Division in the Vietnam War from 1964-1965.
In 1979, after 29 years of service, Malcom retired from the military. His military awards and honors include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit (with 3 oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Aviator Badge and the Airborne Badge.
After his retirement, Malcom worked for four years as Executive to the Chairman of the Board, Rollins, Inc. in Atlanta. From 1983 to 2000 he co-owned Future Wood lumber company in Fayetteville, GA. He sold the company in 2000, but his corporation, Timber Specialties, Inc. is still in existence.
Malcom continued to remain active in training the next generation of warriors and in community affairs. He taught four classes a year at the John F. Kennedy Special Forces School, Fort Bragg, N.C., and one class a year at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Malcolm is the author of the book, “White Tiger, My Secret War in North Korea,” which describes his time in Korea behind enemy lines.
He has been a strong advocate for veterans and worked for several years at the National Museum of Patriotism in Atlanta. In 1983 he was instrumental in the formation of the Georgia Federal Military Retiree Coalition and as a member of the Military Retiree Council, representing more than 140,000 retirees and their dependents in Georgia. In 2008, he was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor, and in 2010 he was inducted into the University of North Georgia Hall of Fame for his service to the nation and the university.
About the Army ROTC Hall of Fame
The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The first class (2016) inducted 326 former ROTC Cadets who had distinguished themselves in their military or civilian career.
The Hall of Fame honors graduates of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. It provides a prestigious and tangible means of recognizing and honoring Army ROTC Alumni who have made lasting, significant contributions to the Nation, the Army and the history and traditions of the Army ROTC Program.
Read more about the 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees.
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