Lê Văn Tỵ

Army General Lê Văn Tỵ was the first chief of staff of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He replaced Nguyễn Văn Hinh as Chief of the [Joint General Staff (South Vietnam)|Chief of the Joint General Staff]. He was previously a general in the Vietnamese [National Army] of the State of Vietnam, which became the Republic of Vietnam in 1955 after Prime Minister Ngô [Đình Diệm] deposed Emperor Bảo Đại in a 1955 [State of Vietnam referendum|fraudulent referendum]. He is the only general to be promoted to the Marshal.
During the First [Indochina War], he was appointed brigadier general in the Vietnamese National Army.
Tỵ's deteriorating health forced him to retire in 1964. He succumbed to cancer in 1964. He was a recipient of the National Order of Vietnam.
He is also the only General of the Republic of Vietnam to be promoted to the 5-star rank of Army General.