Herold J. Weiler (April 12, 1886 – November 18, 1945) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who served as acting

Chief of the National Guard Bureau The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) is the highest-ranking officer of the National Guard and the head of the National Guard Bureau. The position is a statutory office (), held by a federally recognized commissioned officer who has serv ...

Early life

Herold James Weiler was born in

Tioga, Illinois Tioga is an unincorporated community in Walker Township, Hancock County, Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East secti ...

on April 12, 1886. He was raised and educated in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

, and enlisted in the Texas National Guard's,

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Tr ...

D, 1st Cavalry

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

in 1907. Weiler rose through the ranks and was a First Sergeant when he was commissioned as a

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in 1912. In his civilian career Weiler was the owner and operator of Weiler Manufacturing, makers of heavy duty

overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

pants Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...

, and other outdoor wear for oil field and

oil rig {{about, , the mnemonic OIL RIG, Redox An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig, an apparatus for on-land oil drilling * Drillship, a floating apparatus for offshore oil drilling ...

workers. In the 1920s he also worked in other management positions within the oil industry. Weiler served on the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the southe ...

during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

in 1916 as a member of Troop D.

World War I

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Weiler served in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

as a member of the 131st Field Artillery Regiment, a unit of the 36th Infantry Division.

Post World War I

After World War I, Weiler continued his military service, including command of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery as a Major. Weiler was a Lieutenant Colonel when he graduated from the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1929.

National Guard Bureau

In the early 1930s, Weiler was assigned to full-time National Guard duty with the Militia Bureau (now National Guard Bureau), serving as Chief of the Personnel Division. Weiler was acting Chief of the Militia Bureau (now

) from December, 1935 to January, 1936.

Return to Texas

In 1935, Weiler returned to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

as commander of the 131st Field Artillery Regiment and U.S. Property and Disbursing Officer for Texas. Weiler graduated from

Washington College of Law The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of nort ...

in 1936 and passed the bar in Texas and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

World War II

During World War II Weiler served as procurement officer for the Texas Selective Service Department. He was approaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 and was on terminal

leave Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...

at the time of his death.

Death and burial

Weiler died in

Refugio, Texas Refugio ( ) is a town in Refugio County, of which it is the county seat, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,890 as of the 2010 Census. Refugio is the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Fame member Nolan Ryan. Geography Refugio is l ...

on November 18, 1945. He was killed in an accident while

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

, when a motorist drove through a field and crashed his car into Weiler's duck blind. Weiler was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Corsicana.Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light, H.J. Weiler Killed in Unusual Accident Sunday: Funeral Services Scheduled in Corsicana Tuesday Afternoon, November 20, 1945

References

External resources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiler, Herold, J. 1886 births 1945 deaths People from Hancock County, Illinois People from Corsicana, Texas Washington College of Law alumni Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Texas lawyers Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II National Guard (United States) officers 20th-century American lawyers Hunting accident deaths Road incident deaths in Texas United States Army colonels United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Military personnel from Texas Military personnel from Illinois