Commanding Generals

Commanders of the 3d Armored Division 1941-1992


My Image FileMajor General Alvan Cullom Gillem, Jr.
April 1941 to January 1942

    
Lieutenant General Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr., was the first commander of the 3d Armored Division. General Gillem was a veteran of WWI. In 1940, he was the commander of the 66th Infantry (Light Tanks). At that time, it was the Army’s only Tank Regiment and he became one of the leaders in the establishment and development of our Armored Force. General Gillem commanded the 2nd Armored Brigade, and then General Gillem commanded the 3d Armored Division from April 1941, to January 1942. General Gillem helped instill "by word and deed", the fiercely proud esprit de corps which lingered in the Spearhead division long after he had been promoted to higher command. General Gillem went on to command the II Armored Corps, and the Armored Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He then took the XIII Corps toEurope in WWII. The XIII Corps pierced the Siegfried line and fought its way to within 50 miles of Berlin. This was the closest American troops would come to the capital prior to VE Day. General Gillem was selected to command the Armored Task Force that was scheduled to invade Japan. But VJ day made this not necessary. In 1947, General Gillem was appointed Commanding General, Third Army with its headquarters at Fort McPherson, Georgia. He remained in this command until 1950 when he retired as a Lieutenant General with over 40 years of service. General Gillem ended his career at the same place it began, Fort McPherson. General Gilliem died in Atlanta, Georgia, February 13, 1973.

 

 
My Image FileMajor General Walton Harris Walker
January 1942 to August 1942

       Born in Belton, Texas, December 3, 1899. Twice cited for gallantry in action. Has S.S. (Oak-Leaf Cluster). Graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1912. General Walker served in the Vera Cruz expedition in Mexico in 1914, and during World War I saw service in France at St Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne. He was with Army of Occupation in Germany until 1919. Graduate of the Infantry School, Command and General Staff School and the Army War College. Served as instructor at the United States Military Academy, the Infantry school and the Coast Artillery School. Appointed Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1912. Appointed First Lieutenant July 1, 1916 and Captain, May 15, 1917. (Appointed Major, National Army, 1918, and promoted to temporary  Lieutenant Colonel in 1919). reverted to rank of Captain of Regular Army in 1919. Acquired rank of Major in 1920 and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1935. Received appointment as temporary Colonel in February 1941 and promoted to Brigadier General on July 10, 1941. Appointed Commander of the 3d Armored Division, January 17, 1942. Appointed Major General, February 18, 1942. General Walker went on to command IV Armored Corps, and XX Corps. In 1948 he was made commanding general of the 8th Army in Japan. When the communist invaded South Korea in 1950, General Walker was directed to stop the invasion. General Walker was made commander of United Nations Forces Korea until he was killed in a jeep accident on December 23, 1950. Before his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, he was promoted to the rank of Full General.


 
My Image File Major General Leroy Hugh Watson
August 1942 to August 1944

    
Major General Leroy Hugh Watson served as the third commander of the 3d Armored Division from August 1942, to August 1944. Previous to commanding the 3d Armored Division, General Watson commanded the 66th Armored Regiment in 1941. He next commanded the 40th Armored Regiment from 1941 to 1942. General Watson next commanded Combat Command A, 3d Armored Division from August 1942 to August 1944.General Watson was relieved shortly after the division landed at Normandy and replaced by General Maurice Rose. General Watson’s career is hard to follow after that. He appears to have finished up WWII with the 29th Infantry Division as the Assistant Division commander. One website I found claimed he commanded the 29th. But that conflicts with the 29th Infantry Association records of the commander during that time. I was not able to find any other information on General Watson other than that he retired in 1953. One thing we need to keep in mind is that General Watson was largely responsible for the training of the 3d Armored Division to prepare it for combat. He took over command during the Mohave Desert training and commanded the division through the start of combat in France.

 

 
My Image File Major General Maurice Rose
August 1944 to March 1945

    
Born November 26, 1899 in Middletown Connecticut, his U.S. Army career, which spanned 1916 to 1945, Maurice Rose served in both World War I & II. In France in WW I he saw combat as a 19-year-old first lieutenant with the 89th Infantry Div. in the Argonne and at St. Miheil. He was wounded (shrapnel and concussion), spent 3 weeks in a hospital, but returned to his unit against doctor's orders. He was promoted to captain in 1920, shortly after war's end.In WWII, he served with the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions in North Africa, including combat with the 1st in the battle for Tunisia in 1943, where he earned his first Silver Star. Back with the 2nd Armored Div., he was promoted to Brigadier General just before the invasion of Sicily, where his unit was the first to enter the island's capital, Palermo. With the 2nd Armored in Normandy in June, 1944, Gen. Rose's unit beat back a major German force near Carentan. As captured documents later revealed, this action may have saved the whole Normandy beachhead.On August 7, 1944, Gen. Rose was given command of the 3rd Armored Division, receiving his second general's star several weeks later. What then followed was his daring and legendary leadership of the "Spearhead" Division, as its troops aggressively advanced and engaged German forces in northern France, Belgium, Germany, in the Battle of the Bulge, and finally in the heart of Germany itself. In the course of that action, the 3rd Armored achieved a remarkable string of "Firsts" (described in section above).On March 29, 1945, in central Germany, Rose's troops made the longest one-day advance by any Allied Division during the war. Tragically, the next day, Rose was killed in action while trying to locate a forward 3rd Armored unit that had been cut off by German tanks. He was only 45 years old. WWII in Europe was to end five weeks later.
 
My Image File Brigadier General Doyle O. Hickey
March 1945 to June 1945

    
Brigadier General Doyle O. Hickey was the 5th Commander of the 3d Armored Division. A native of Rector, Arkansas and a lawyer by profession, General Hickey entered the Army in 1917 as a reserve Lieutenant rising to command the 3d Armored Division in World War II. General Hickey joined the division during desert training in California. General Hickey commanded Combat Command A from Normandy, until General Rose was murdered at Paderborn, Germany. General Hickey assumed command of the division on March 31, 1945. He served as the division commander until June of 1945. Then Lieutenant General Doyle O. Hickey served as the Chief of Staff for the Far East Command during the Korean War. He retired in Washington D.C. on July 30, 1953, in ceremonies at Fort McNair, after more than 35 years of service.

 

 
My Image File Brigadier General Truman Everett Boudinot
June 1945 to July 1945

     Born September 2, 1895 in Hamilton, Iowa, General Boudinot began his career in WW 1. He applied for a regular army commission  and became a 2 LT of Cavalry on August 9, 1917. His first assignment was at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He received promotion to 1LT and CPT while serving in the 8th Cavalry in Texas. After the first world war, he became an instructor at the Cavalry school at Ft. Riley, KS. In 1923 he tried a short stint with the Air Corp, but then returned to Cavalry troop duty. He served in the Signal Corp for a time to learn about Communications. He then served a tour in the Philippines. He then was assigned to Infantry School at Ft. Benning, GA. He then returned to Cavalry troop duty with the 1st Cavalry Brigade at Ft. Clark, TX. In 1934 he was assigned to the 463rd Armored Car Squadron at Ft. McPherson, GA. He Graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1937. Was promoted to Major and took command of 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry, 7th Mechanized  Brigade at Ft. Knox, KY. After a two year stint in the Civilian Conservation Corps, he returned to the 2-13 Cav. again. In August 1940 he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and ordered to the Armor Force Replacement Center. In November 1941 he was promoted to colonel and named XO of the US Army Armor Training Center at Ft. Knox. He then assumed command of the 32d Armored Regiment, 3d Armored Division. He bestowed the motto of "Victory or Death" upon this unit and they served well under this throughout World War 2. In 1944 he took command of Combat Command "B" as a Brigadier General. In June 1945 he assumed command of the 3d Armored Division.


 
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Brigadier General Frank A. Allen Jr.
July 1945


 
 

 

 

 

 

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Major General Robert W. Grow
July 1945 to November 1945

     
 

 

 

 

 

 

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Major General Ray T. Maddocks
July 1947 to April 1948


 

 

 

 


 
My Image File Major General Roderick R. Allen
April 1948 to June 1950

Roderick Random Allen, (1894-1970) an army officer who served in three wars, the son of Jefferson Buffington and Emma (Albers) Allen, was born on January 29, 1894, in Marshall, Texas, and spent his youth in Palestine, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1915 with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture. In 1946 A&M granted him an honorary LL.D. degree. On April 25, 1917, he married Maydelle Campbell; the couple reared Nancy Campbell Allen and Gail Random Allen. Allen was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Sixteenth Cavalry, Regular Army, on November 29, 1916, and subsequently a First Lieutenant. He was stationed at Mercedes, Texas, on the Mexican border. He was transferred to the Third Cavalry in June 1917, was promoted to Captain on October 17, and served with the regiment in France in the American Expeditionary Force. His troop and squadron were on remount duty at six locations. From November 1917 to January 1918 Allen was an aerial observer, First Observation Squadron, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, in World War I.  During the spring of 1919 he attended the University of Toulouse in France. In July 1919 he returned with the Third Cavalry to Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. In 1919-21 and 1923 he rode 300-mile endurance tests in the United States Mounted Service. In 1920 Allen was an instructor, Texas National Guard, Dallas. In February 1921 he transferred to the Sixteenth Cavalry, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and in October he moved to the Fourth United States Cavalry. He was a member of the Cavalry Engineer Rifle Team from 1921 to 1923. Beginning in the 1920s Allen graduated from several advanced military schools. He attended the Cavalry School and was assigned (1923) to command Company A, Seventh Cavalry, Fort Bliss, and served as regimental adjutant. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School (1928), was promoted to Major on June 20, and was ordered to the Personnel Section (of which he became chief in 1930), Office of Chief of Cavalry, in Washington, D.C. In 1929 he was Captain of the Cavalry Rifle and Pistol Team. He was an instructor at the Command and General Staff School (1932-34). He graduated from the Chemical Warfare School (1934), the Army War College (1935), and the Naval War College (1936). Allen was a staff officer, Plans and Training Division, War Department, from 1936 to 1940. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on August 1, 1938. During World War II he commanded various armored units. In July 1940 he was operations officer, First Armored Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky. In April he was transferred to the Third Armored Division, Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. He was promoted to Colonel, Army of the United States, on October 14, 1941, and took command of the Thirty-second Armored Regiment. Allen became chief of staff, Sixth Armored Division, in January 1942 and was promoted to Brigadier General, Army of the United States, on May 23. He commanded Combat Command A, Fourth Armored, and participated in maneuvers in Tennessee (1942) and California (1942-43). From October 1943 to September 1944 he commanded the Twentieth Armored Division at Camp Campbell, Kentucky. He was promoted to Major General, Army of the United States, on February 23, 1944. He commanded the Twelfth Armored Division in Europe from September 1944 to August 1945. The division was attached to the United States Seventh Army (in France), detached to the First French Army, then to the Third Army to spearhead the Twentieth Corps drive from Trier to the Rhine. His division accompanied the Twenty-first Corps into Austria. From August 1945 to February 1946 he commanded the First Armored in Germany, then was director of operations, plans, and training at European Theater headquarters. He was promoted to Colonel, regular army, on November 1, 1945, and to Brigadier General on January 24, 1948. In the United States he served from October 1947 to April 1948 as director of intelligence, Army Ground Forces, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He was promoted to Major General on May 27, 1949. He commanded the 3d Armored Division at Fort Knox, from 1948 to 1950.   


 
My Image File Brigadier General Raymond E. S. Williamson (1894-1957)
June 1950 to February 1951

    Born 1 September 1894 in New York, he was commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy in 1917 as a cavalry officer.  He served in 1918 with the Allied Expeditionary Force in WWI.  In WWII, he served as the G1 of the 23d (Americal) Division in the Pacific Theater and as the Deputy Commanding General of the 91st Division in the European Theater.  After commanding the 3d Armored Division, he served as the Army Attaché in London until 1954 when he retired.  His awards included the Silver Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, and three Bronze Star Medals.  He died 27 September 1957 at Pebble Beach, California.


 
My Image File Major General Ira Platt Swift (1898-1987)
February 1951 to July 1951

Born 8 February 1898 in Mississippi, he was commissioned a cavalry/infantry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1918.  In WWII he served as the commander of CCA and G3 of the 9th Armored Division (1943-44) and the Deputy Commanding General of the 82d Airborne Division (1944-45).  He was the Deputy CG of the 2d Division (1947-48); Commander of U.S. Forces, Austria (1948-51); CG, 25th Division (1951-52); CG, III Corps (1952-53); and CG, V Corps (1953-54).  He retired in 1954 as a Major General.  His awards included the Silver Star Medal, two Legions of Merit, and two Bronze Star Medals.  He died at Winter Park, Florida on 29 July 1987.
 

My Image File Brigadier General Arthur R. Walk
July 1951 to October 1951

      Born April 11, 1895 in Chambersburg, PA. He was a graduate of Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, in 1917 and entered the Army with a reserve commission in August of that year. He was commissioned in the Regular Army in October, 1917, and has since received promotions through the ranks of Brigadier General given on October 3, 1950. Served with the 3d Division in World War 1, he earned six battle stars and achieved the temporary rank of Captain. At the outbreak of WW 2 , he was serving as an instructor  at the Command and General Staff School and in September, 1942 he became commanding officer of the 370th Regimental Combat Team of the 92d Division. Chief of Staff of the 37th Inf. Division, March 1943 until August 1945. CO of the 148th Inf. at Luzon Spring of 1945. Assistant CO of the 6th Inf. Division August 1945.Chief of Staff of the 5th Armored Division at Camp Chaffee, AR in July 1948 and in October 1949 named Commanding Officer of the Division. December of 1950 was named commanding general of Task Force 3.2 of Operation Greenhouse in the Marshall Islands. On  July 7, 1951 he was assigned as Commanding General of the 3d Armored Division.


 
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Brigadier General Raymond E. S. Williamson
October 1951 to November 1952

Second Command of 3d Armored Division. See June 1950 to February 1951 for Bio.
 

 

 

 

 


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Brigadier General John T. Cole
November 1952 to December 1952

 

 

 

 


 
 
My Image File Major General Richard W. Stevens
December 1952 to January 1954

  Born in Pierre, South Dakota on November 15, 1902. He graduated from the US Military Academy in June 1924 and was commissioned a 2 Lt. of Infantry. From 1924 to 1941 he served in various company grades in the 7th, 19th, 25th, 31st, 23rd, and 53rd Infantry Regiments. During World War II he served in grades from Major through Colonel, participating in the Normandy, Northern Europe, Central Europe, Ardennes and the Rhineland campaigns. Following WW II he served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, III Corps, Chief of Staff of the 2d Armored Division, Commanding Officer of the 21st Inf. regiment and 24th Inf. Division in Japan and Korea. He participated in the UN Defensive, UN Offensive, CCF Intervention and UN Counter Offensive campaigns in Korea. He served as Special Service Officer, Far Eastern Command, and Commanding General, HQ and Service Command, General HQ, Far Eastern Command. He was promoted Brigadier General October 3, 1951 and Major General on Dec. 18, 1952. He assumed command of the 3d Armored Division on Dec. 19, 1952.


 
My Image File Major General Gordon Byrom Rogers (1901-1967)
January 1954 to April 1955

    Born 22 August 1901 in Tennessee, he was commissioned a cavalry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1924.  In WWII he served as the G2 of I Corps in the Pacific Theater (1942-43) and G2 Army Ground Forces (1943-45).  He was on the War Department General Staff (1945-46) and on the Staff and Faculty of the War College (1950-52).  He commanded the 40th Division in the Korean War (1952-53), and was the Chief of the Korean Military Advisory Group (1953).  After commanding 3AD, he served as the Deputy CG of Continental Army Command, and retired as a LTG in 1961.  His awards included two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Silver Star Medals, two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, and the Purple Heart.  He died in Washington, DC on 5 July 1967.


 
My Image File Major General John Murphy Willems (1901-1976)
April 1955 to July 1956

    Born 24 December 1901 in Kansas, he was commissioned a field artillery officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1925.  He was a member of the U.S. Olympic Riding Team in 1936.  In WWII he served as the Chief-of-Staff of II Corps in the Mediterranean Theater.  He was the Military Attaché to Italy (1946-49); the Division Artillery Commander for 2AD (1950-52); assigned to the Army Office of the Assistant Chief-of-Staff (1952-55); CG of 3AD (1955-56); assigned to HQ's USAREUR (1956-59); and served as Army Assistant Chief-of-Staff (G-1) (1959-61).  He retired as a Major General in 1961.  His awards included the Distinguished Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.  He died in San Diego, California on 14 September 1976.
 
 

My Image File Major General Robert William Porter, Jr. (1908-still living in 1997)
July 1956 to January 1958

Born 29 April 1908 in Nebraska, he was commissioned a cavalry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1930.  In WWII, he served as the G2 of the 1st Division and in the G3 Section of II Corps.  He attended the Naval War College (1950); commanded the 2d Armored Cavalry in Germany (1950-51); assigned Hq's Allied Land Forces Central Europe (1951-52); Chief-of-Staff X Corps in the Korean War; served on the Army Staff (1960-62); Commanding General, 1st Army (1964-65); and Commander Southern Command and the Canal Zone (1965).  He retired in 1969 as a General, and became a tree farmer in Virginia.  He was Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year in 1995.  He awards include two Distinguished Service Medals, two Legions of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.
 


My Image File Major General Thomas Fraley Van Natta, III (1906-1988)
January 1958 to July 1959

    Born on 10 November 1906 in the Philippines, he was commissioned a cavalry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1928.  During WWII, he served in Paraguay (1941-43), and on the staff and as Combat Liaison Officer at Hq's, China-Burma-India (1944-45).  He served in the 2d Armored Division (1950-51); 1st Armored Division (1951); as G2 of 8th Army in the Korean War (1952-53); as G2 of the Office of the Chief of Army Field Forces in DC (1953); Commander 3AD (1958-59); Deputy CofS for Intelligence at USAREUR (1959-61); at Hq's Continental Army Command (1961-62); and as Director of the Inter-American Defense College (1962-63).  He retired in 1963 as a Major General.  His awards included two Distinguished Service Medals, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and two Air Medals.  He died in Santa Barbara, California on 13 September 1988.
 


My Image File Major General Frederic J. Brown (1905-1971)
July 1959 to October 1960

Born on 9 July 1905 in South Dakota, he was commissioned a field artillery officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1927.  In WWII, he served as the 3d Armored Division DIVARTY Commander.  He attended the Naval War College (1947); served at Hq's EUCOM (1950); was the Assist. Chief-of-Staff for Operations at Hq's USAREUR (1952); Assist. Chief-of-Staff at Hq's EUCOM (1952-54); Commander 3AD (1959-60); Commander V Corps (1960); Commander, Headquarters Allied Land Forces Southern Europe (1962-63); Commander Sixth Army (1963-65); and retired in 1965 as a Lieutenant General.  His awards included two Distinguished Service Medals, two Silver Star Medals, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Air Medal.  He died in Washington, DC on 13 March 1971.
 


My Image File Major General Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (1914 – 1974)
October 1960 to May 1962

Born 15 September 1914 in Massachusetts, he was commissioned a cavalry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1936.  He served with the 7th Cavalry at Ft. Bliss (1936-40), and with the 1st Armored Division at Ft. Knox (1940-41).  In WWII, he served as a battalion commander and Combat Command commander with the 4th Armored Division.  He commanded the 63d Tank Battalion and the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany (1949-52); served as for I, X, and IX Corps in the Korean War; as Deputy CG of 3AD (1959-60); as Deputy CofS for Operations, USAREUR Staff (1960); CG, 3AD (1960-62); on the Army Staff (1963); commander, V Corps (1963-64); Vice CofS of the Army (1964-67); Deputy Commander and Commander of U.S. Forces in Vietnam (1968-72); and Chief-of-Staff of the Army (1972-74).  He died while Chief-of-Staff in Washington, DC on 4 September 1974.  His awards included two Distinguished Service Crossses, two Silver Star Medals, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor; two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, and four Distinguished Service Medals.
 


My Image File Major General John Ramsey Pugh (1909-1994)
May 1962 to February 1964

    Born 27 July 1909 in Pennsylvania, he was commissioned a cavalry officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1932.  In WWII, he was the G2 of I Corps in the Philippines.  He was captured at Corregidor and was a prisoner of war from 1942 to 1945.  After WWII, he commanded the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the 82d ABN Division (1949-50); commanded the 2d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (1950-51); served on the Army G3 Staff (1951-53); served with the CIA (1953-54); attended the Naval War College (1955); served as Chief-of-Staff of the Berlin Command (1957-58); was the G3 of 8th Army in Korea (1960); was Chief-of-Staff of 2d Army (1960-62); Commander, 3d Armored Division (1962-64); and Commander, VI Corps (1964-66).  He retired as a Major General in 1966.  His awards included three Silver Star Medals, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.  He died at Round Hill, Virginia on 2 March 1994.
 
 

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Major General Berton E. Spivey Jr.
February 1964 to March 1965


 

 

 

 


 
My Image File Major General Walter T. Kerwin (1917-July 12,2008)
March 1965 to October 1966
\
General Walter T. Kerwin, Jr., former 3AD CG passed away July 12, 2008 at age 91. He was Spearhead's CG March 1965 to October 1966.
Quoting from AUSA's news; "Kerwin, a 1939 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a commission in field artillery, is heralded as the champion of the “One Army” or “Total Army” concept."

A four-star at retirement, General Kerwin was also instrumental in ending the Draft.

 


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Major General W. G. Dolvin
October 1966 to April 1968


 
 
 

 

 

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Major General Donald H. Cowles
April 1968 to August 1969


 
 

 

 

 

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Major General Morgan G. Roseborough
August 1969 to May 1971


 
 
 

 

 

 

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Major General William R. Kraft Jr.
May 1971 to March 1973

 

 

 

 


 
 
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Major General Jonathan R. Burton
March 1973 to June 197
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Major General Charles J. Simmons
June 1975 to November 1977

 

 

 

 


 
 

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Major General Wallace H. Nutting
November 1977 to September 1979


 

 

 

 


 
My Image File Major General Walter F. Ulmer Jr.
September 1979 to February 1982

Born in Bangor, Maine, Walter Ulmer graduated from West Point in the Class of 1952. Commissioned a second lieutenant of Armor, he was immediately immersed in the rigors of unit leadership, commanding companies in the 56th Amphibious Tank and Tractor Battalion in Korea, the 6th Tank Battalion, 24th Infantry Division in Japan, and the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. During these assignments, the development of practical advice for junior leaders became one of his life-long professional interests.
   In 1958, he was assigned to the Department of Military Topography and Graphics at West Point, and, following that tour, he attended the Command and General Staff College. After graduation he deployed to Vietnam, serving with the U.S. Military Assistance Command and as senior advisor to a Vietnamese Infantry regiment. Upon his return to the United States, he held high-level staff positions and commanded the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division from 1967 to 1968.
   General Ulmer then attended the Army War College and was subsequently selected for duty on its faculty. There, he directed a comprehensive and seminal study of leadership within the Army, profoundly influencing the way its techniques were inculcated throughout the Army of the 1970s.
   In 1972, then-Colonel Ulmer returned to Vietnam, where he was Chief, Combat Assistance Team 70, during 62 days of intense combat in the Battle and Siege of An Loc. For its extraordinary heroism against a North Vietnamese force greatly outnumbering the Army Republic of Vietnam defenders, Combat Assistance Team 70 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The citation documents the team’s pivotal role in turning back the North Vietnamese Army’s massive surprise offensive of 1972. During the fighting, Ulmer and his team coolly coordinated vital operations while An Loc was pounded day and night by the war’s heaviest and most sustained artillery and tank assaults. The team’s actions helped to save Saigon for another three years, assuring the safe withdrawal of the remaining U.S. combat forces in Vietnam, and assisting in making possible the January 1973 peace agreement and release of American prisoners of war.
   In 1973, General Ulmer completed a master’s degree in Regional Planning from Pennsylvania State University. Subsequently, he was commander of the 194th Armor Brigade and, then, Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Armor Center, Fort Knox.
   In 1975, Brigadier General Ulmer returned to West Point as the 56th Commandant of Cadets. During especially challenging times at West Point, he emphasized the importance of command presence and increased the interaction between cadets and senior leaders at the Academy.
   General Ulmer’s astute and inspiring leadership was equally effective during his command of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany.
 
 

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Major General Thurman E. Anderson
February 1982 to March 1984

 

 

 

 


 
 

My Image File Major General Richard G. Graves
March 1984 to June 1986

   Lieutenant General (Ret.) Richard G. Graves was born in Tangier, Indiana on 30 October, 1933. He was commissioned in Armor and awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy in 1958. He also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from Indiana University. His military education includes completion of the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the Army War College.
   General Graves last served as Commander of III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. Prior to serving as Commander of III Corps, he served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Washington, D.C. He also has served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations with the United States Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia. General Graves has served in Europe as Commander, 3d Armored Division (Spearhead); Commander 3d Brigade, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized); Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, V Corps; Chief of the War Plans Division, ODCSOPS, USAREURl and as a Brigade Executive Officer in the 1st Armored Division. General Graves had two tours of duty in Vietnam, first as an advisor with the Military Assistance Command and later as an Infantry Brigade Executive Officer and Squadron Commander of the 1st Squadron, 1st U.S. Cavalry. He served at Fort Hood from 1979 to 1983 as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Armored Division and III Corps and Fort Hood, and Assistant Division Commander, 1st Cavalry Division.
   General Graves' decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Distinguished Flying Cross (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Bronze Star with V device (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Meritorious Service Medal, several Air Medals and the Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster). He has also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Army Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
   General Graves retired from the Active Army on 1 August 1991. On 1 January 1992, he accepted employment with General Dynamics Corporation as a Division Vice-President in Land Systems Division. After serving four years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and two years at Corporate Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, General Graves took a second retirement on 31 December 1998 from General Dynamics Corporation.
   General Graves is married to the former Beverly (Bev) Fewell. They have three children: William, Thomas and Myra Wright, and seven grandchildren.
 
 

My Image File Major General Thomas N. Griffin Jr.
June 1986 to March 1988


   Thomas Griffin, Lieutenant General (retired), had a long and distinguished military career. He served for 35 years, most recently as Chief of Staff, Allied Forces, Southern Europe. In that position, he was responsible for the coordination of an international staff of more than 1,000 personnel from nine countries.
   Thomas N. Griffin, Jr., was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1956. His first assignment was to West Germany, where he served as a platoon leader and company commander. In 1960-1963, he served with the Third Infantry at Fort Myer, Virginia, as a company commander and the Regimental Adjutant. He was assigned to the Republic of Vietnam in 1965, serving as advisor to a Vietnamese Ranger unit. He then served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a brigade operations officer then as the Commanding Officer of a battalion in the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. 
   In 1968, he was assigned to the Academy, where he served as a tactical officer, regimental executive officer, and the Regimental Commander of the 4th Regiment of the Corps of Cadets. In 1971, he returned to Vietnam, where he served with the 101st Airborne Division as a brigade executive officer and a deputy brigade commander. He then served for four years at Fort Ord, California, where he commanded a basic training battalion and then was Operations Officer for the 7th Infantry Division.
   Griffin then went to Washington, D.C., to serve as an assignment officer in the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center. After that, he was stationed in the Republic of Korea, commanding the 3rd brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. He then became Chief of the Readiness Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the Pentagon.
   In 1981, Griffin was assigned as Chief of Colonels Division in the Military Personnel Center. In 1982, upon promotion to brigadier general, he became the Deputy Director for Plans and Policy in the U.S. Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Later, he was made the Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver), 3rd Armored Division, in Giessen, West Germany. During that assignment, he was also Community Commander of the Giessen Military Community. A year later, he was assigned to command the Army's Berlin Brigade and the Berlin Military Community. In 1986, Griffin returned to the 3rd Armored Division as its Commander. Concurrently, he was Commander of the Frankfurt Military Community. After promotion to lieutenant general, he was assigned as the Chief of Staff, Allied Forces Southern Europe, in Naples. He retired in 1991.
   General Griffin holds an MS degree in International Affairs from George Washington University. He is a graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff and the Naval War College. He spent a year as a Senior Fellow in the Executive Seminar in National and International Affairs with the Department of State and completed the Executive Program of the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.
   General Griffin's awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Joint Services Commendation Medal, and two Army Commendation Medals. He also received the Gallantry Cross with Gold Star and the Staff Service Medal from the Republic of Vietnam.
 
 

My Image File Major General George Alfred Joulwan (1939 – living)
March 1988 to July 1989

    
George Alfred Joulwan (born November 16, 1939, Pottsville, Pennsylvania ) was a U.S. general, and is now a businessman. Joulwan studied at theUnited States Military Academy and Loyola University.
He served from June 1966 to November 1967 and from June 1971 to January 1972 in Vietnam. He commanded the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), from June 1979 to September 1981, when he became Chief of Staff, 3rd Infantry Division. He served in various functions at the Pentagon from 1982 until June 1986, when he became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, United States Army Europe and U.S. Seventh Army, Germany. In March 1988 he was given command of the 3rd Armored Division and in 1989 he became Commanding General, U.S. V Corps. From November 1990 until October 1993 he was Commander in Chief of United States Southern Command. He served as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) from1993 to 1997.

 
 

My Image File Major General Paul E. Funk
July 1989 to April 7, 1991

    
   Paul E. Funk, Lieutenant General (U.S. Army, Retired) commanded the 3d Armored Division from December 1990 to April 1991, when the Division distinguished itself as part of the VII Corps, during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. He is the only Division Commander to lead the Division in combat since World War II.  
   Currently, he is Program Director of the Education and Technology Applications Division at The University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Advanced Technology, and is a member of the Army Science Board.
   General Funk was born in Roundup, Montana. He holds a Doctorate of Education and a Masters in Psychological Counseling from Montana State University. He earned Distinguished Military Graduate honors from Montana State University, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant.
   His military education includes Armor Officer Basic and Armor Officer Advanced Course, Helicopter Flight School, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the Army War College.
   General Funk has held a number of command positions, from platoon through division, leading to his assignment as the Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas. He served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Armor Center and Fort Knox, Kentucky, from June 1992 to October 1993. He was the Commanding General of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin, Fort Irwin, California; Assistant Division Commander, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) Fort Lewis, Washington; Commander of the 194th Separate Armored Brigade; and 5th Battalion, 33rd Armor, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Other assignments at Fort Hood include Deputy G3 for Training; III Corps; Chief of Staff, 1st Cavalry Division; and several Platoon Leader assignments with the 2nd battalion, 13th Armor, 1st Armored Division.
   Other key assignments include Vice Director, J3, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., and Assistant Commandant, U.S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. General Funk served a combat tour in Vietnam as Executive Officer and then Commander of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. He commanded four companies/troops and led 3 platoons. General Funk has also served in the Republic of Korea.
   His awards and decorations include: the Distinguished Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters); Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit (with two Oak Leaf Clusters); Distinguished Flying Cross; Bronze Star Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters); Meritorious Service Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters); Air Medal with “V” device (and twenty-five Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Commendation Medal with “V” device (and three Oak Leaf Clusters); Vietnam Service Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters); Kuwait Liberation Medal; Saudi Service Medal (with three bronze stars); the Army Aviator Badge, and; the Joint Chief of Staff Identification Badge. 
   He was selected as one of the top 100 graduates in the first 100 years from Montana University. In 1998, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Montana State.

 
 

My Image File Major General Jerry R. Rutherford
April 7, 1991 to February 1992