William Childs Westmoreland was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, on 26 March 1914 *** graduated from the United States Military Academy, 1936 *** was commissioned a second lieutenant, June 1936, and served with the 18th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, 1936-1939 *** was promoted to first lieutenant, June 1939 *** was a battery officer and commander and a battalion staff officer of the 8th Field Artillery at Schofield Barrack, 1939- 1941 *** was promoted to temporary major (February) and lieutenant colonel (September), 1942 *** was operations officer of the 34th Field Artillery Battalion, 9th Infantry Division, in the United States and North Africa and a battalion commander in operations in Tunisia and Sicily, 1942-1944 *** was executive officer of the 9th Division Artillery in Western European operations, 1944 *** was promoted to temporary colonel, July 1944 *** was chief of staff of the 9th Infantry Division in the closing operations of World War II in Germany, 1944-1945 *** commanded the 60th Infantry, 1945-1946 *** was promoted to permanent captain, June 1946 *** was chief of staff and later commander of the 71st Infantry Division, 1946 *** received airborne training at the Infantry School, 1946 *** commanded the 504th Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division, 1946-1947 *** married Katherine S. Van Deusen, 1947 *** was chief of staff of the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, 1947-1950, receiving his promotion to permanent major in July 1948 *** was instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, 1950-1951 and the Army war College, 1951-1952 *** commanded the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team in operations in Korea, 1952-1953 *** was promoted to temporary brigadier general, November 1952, and permanent lieutenant colonel, July 1953 *** was deputy assistant chief of staff, G-1, for manpower control, 1953-1955 *** attended the advanced management program at Harvard Business School, 1954 *** was secretary of the General Staff, 1955-1958 *** was promoted to temporary major general, December 1956 *** was commander of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, 1958-1960 *** was superintendent of the United States Military Academy, 1960-1963: was promoted to permanent rank of colonel, June 1961, and brigadier general, February 1963, and to temporary lieutenant general, July 1963 *** was commander of the Strategic Army Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps, 1963-1964 *** was successively deputy commander and acting commander of United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam 1964 *** was promoted to temporary general, August 1964, and permanent major general August 1965 *** was commander of United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam and United States Army, Vietnam, at the peak of the Vietnam War, 1964-1968 *** was chief of staff of the United States Army, 3 July 1968-30 June 1972 *** supervised the Army's disengagement from Vietnam, the transition from the draft to an all volunteer footing and the employment of troops in a period of active civil disturbance *** centered attention upon efforts to improve service life, officer professionalism, job attractiveness and public understanding *** retired from active service, July 1972 *** resides in Charleston, South Carolina. From: COMMANDING GENERALS AND CHIEFS OF STAFF, 1775-1982, William Gardner Bell, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1983 Transcribed and edited by: Larry W. Jewell jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu