 He was promoted to brigadier general and was given a command in fall 1941.As a brigadier general, Sharp, headquartered at Cebu, was placed in command of the Visayan-Mindanao Force on Nov. 4, 1941, shortly before Japan brought the United States into World War II.Sharp's force lacked many of the supplies it desperately needed and much of the equipment was outdated and not in proper working order.