Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

William Carey Lee (March 12, 1895 –June 25, 1948) was a senior

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 An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

who fought in

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 ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, during which he commanded the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles". Lee is often referred to as the "Father of the U.S. Airborne".Autry 1995.

Early life and military career

Lee was born in Dunn, North Carolina, one of the seven children of Eldridge Lee and his wife Emma. His father was a merchant. Lee attended

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the u ...

and North Carolina State College. He participated in the

Reserve Officer Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

(ROTC) program, graduated from NC State, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry Branch of the

in 1917, after the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. Lee served in World War I with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), which was commanded by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

John J. Pershing, on the Western Front. During the war, he served as a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

and

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by countr ...

in the 81st Division.

Between the wars

He stayed in the Army during the interwar period and, soon after the war ended, and taking an interest in

armored warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

, he attended the tank warfare training schools in

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

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 ...

. In the 1930s, he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School and was promoted to major soon after. On a tour of Europe, he observed the revolutionary new German airborne forces, a concept that he believed the U.S. Army should adopt. He returned to the United States, where he was ordered to the Office of the Chief of Infantry at

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, ...

On August 18, 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

World War II

By the time the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

entered

in December 1941, Lee, promoted to the temporary rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on December 24, was a proponent of airborne warfare. Lee had observed

smokejumper Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildland fires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute. In addition to performing the initial attack on wildfires, they ...

training methods within the past year to lay a template for training.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

sponsored the concept, and Lee was authorized to form the first paratroop platoon, which was commanded by William T. Ryder. This was followed by the Provisional Parachute Group, and finally the U.S. Army Airborne Command, which he took command of on March 21, 1942, which was followed shortly afterwards by a temporary promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on April 19. Lee was the first commander of the U.S. Army's jump school at Fort Benning,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. His Army Distinguished Service Medal was awarded, "for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War II." In August 1942, Lee, promoted on August 9 to the

two-star rank An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, became the first

Commanding General The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitud ...

(CG) of the newly formed 101st "Screaming Eagles" Airborne Division, based at

Camp Claiborne Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp in the 1930s continuing through World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres (93 k ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. He told his men: He trained the 101st in the United States from its creation until being sent to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in September 1943 to prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord. Lee helped plan the

American airborne landings in Normandy The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 1 ...

and trained to jump with his men. On February 5, 1944, a damp, wet and cloudy day, Lee was on his way to observe a training exercise by the 401st Glider Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph "Bud" Harper. Lee suddenly claimed to Harper, "Bud, I can't go any farther, I have a terrible pain in my chest." Harper managed to secure the services of a truck nearby and Lee was evacuated to the 302nd Field Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a serious heart attack. Although the Army wanted to send him back to the United States for better treatment, Lee refused, believing, in vain, that he might return to the 101st, where Lieutenant General

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...

had promised to hold his command. Lee remained in hospital until March, when he had a second heart attack and was returned to the United States, where he would be retired from the Army for reasons of ill health in late 1944. There was a question of who would command the 101st. Command initially fell to Brigadier General

Don Pratt Brigadier General Don Forrester Pratt (July 12, 1892 – June 6, 1944) was a United States Army officer. He was the assistant division commander (ADC) of the 101st Airborne Division and was the highest-ranking Allied officer killed on D-Day. Bi ...

(who was later killed in Normandy), the assistant division commander, and he assumed he would command the division permanently, but he does not appear to have been seriously considered by General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, the Supreme Allied Commander. The division's artillery commander, Brigadier General

Anthony McAuliffe Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – August 10, 1975) was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in Wor ...

, was another possibility. But Eisenhower selected Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor, commander of the

82nd Airborne Division Artillery The 82nd Airborne Division Artillery (DIVARTY) is the divisional artillery command for the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was organized in 1917, during World War I, was inactivated ...

, with combat experience in Sicily and Italy under his belt, to lead the 101st into battle.

Personal life

In June 1918, he married Dava Johnson, who traveled with him throughout his military career. Lee died at his home in Dunn, North Carolina in 1948.

Honors

The General William C. Lee Airborne Museum is located in Dunn, in his former home.North Carolina Museum of History. On October 11, 2004 the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

passed a bill to rename the Dunn Post Office, the "General William Carey Lee Post Office." Lee Residence Hall, one of the largest dormitories at North Carolina State University, is named after William C. Lee. The Gen. William C. Lee House at Dunn was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983. OTE:_The_"Bill_Lee_Freeway"_in_Charlotte,_North_Carolina,_a_section_of_Interstate_77.html" ;"title="Charlotte,_North_Carolina.html" ;"title="OTE: The "Bill Lee Freeway" in Charlotte, North Carolina">OTE: The "Bill Lee Freeway" in Charlotte, North Carolina, a section of Interstate 77">Charlotte,_North_Carolina.html" ;"title="OTE: The "Bill Lee Freeway" in Charlotte, North Carolina">OTE: The "Bill Lee Freeway" in Charlotte, North Carolina, a section of Interstate 77 is named for William States Lee III (1929–1996), president and CEO of Duke Power and no known relation to the general.]

Notes

References

* Autry, Jerry. Assisted by Kathryn Autry. ''General William C. Lee: Father of the Airborne : Just Plain Bill''. San Francisco: Airborne Press, 1995. * * *

External links

*
General William C. Lee Airborne Museum WebsiteWilliam C. Lee at Find a Grave Website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, William C. 1895 births 1948 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Airborne warfare Military personnel from North Carolina North Carolina State University alumni People from Dunn, North Carolina Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni