Walter King Wilson Jr. (August 26, 1906 – December 6, 1985), was an officer of the United States Army with the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He is most noted as a

Chief of Engineers The Chief of Engineers is a principal United States Army staff officer at The Pentagon. The Chief advises the Army on engineering matters, and serves as the Army's topographer and proponent for real estate and other related engineering program ...

during 1961–65. He was the son of Major General Walter K. Wilson Sr.

Biography

He was born at

Fort Barrancas Fort Barrancas (1839) or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas (from 1787) is a United States military fort and National Historic Landmark in the former Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically within Naval Air Station Pensacola, which wa ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, the son of artillery officer and World War II Major General Walter K. Wilson Sr. (1880–1954). He graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1929 and was commissioned in the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. While on maneuvers with Company A, 7th Engineers in a remote part of Fort Benning, Georgia on the night of May 9-10, 1932, Second Lieutenants Wilson and Stephen R. Hanmer (USMA Class of 1931) came to the aid of a private in their company who had been bitten in the leg by a

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera '' Crotalus'' and '' Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small ...

. The two officers took turns drawing contaminated blood from the wound while arrangements were made to transport the injured soldier ten miles to the base hospital. Wilson and Hanmer were later awarded the

Soldier's Medal The Soldier's Medal is an individual decoration of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926., Appendix 5, p. 126. The Army' Soldier's Medal is equiv ...

in 1934 for their part in saving the private's life. Like Wilson, Hanmer also went on to become a general officer in the Corps of Engineers. Wilson attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

from 1932 to 1933, earning a B.S. degree in civil engineering in May 1933. He then attended the Army Engineer School at Fort Humphreys, Virginia from 1933 to 1934, completing the company officer's course in June 1934. From August 1934 to June 1938, Wilson was an instructor in the Department of Civil and Military Engineering at West Point. He then attended the

Command and General Staff School 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 ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

, Kansas from 1938 to 1939, graduating in June 1939. Promoted to captain in June 1939, Wilson commanded a company of the 3rd Engineers at

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the ...

, Hawaii from July 1939 to February 1941. He returned to the Command and General Staff School from 1941 to 1942, graduating in August 1942. With the onset of World War II, Wilson received temporary promotions to major, lieutenant colonel and then colonel. From December 1942 to May 1943, he commanded the 79th Engineer Combat Regiment at Camp Phillips, Kansas. In 1943, Wilson attended the Army-Navy Staff College, graduating in September 1943. From 1943 to 1945, Wilson served as Deputy Engineer-in-Chief with the

South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir Ar ...

at New Delhi, India, and Kandy, Ceylon. Receiving a temporary promotion to brigadier general in February 1945, he became Commanding General, Advance Section, U.S. Forces,

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was off ...

, and Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army in India. Later, he commanded Intermediate and Base Sections and consolidated all three, commanding all ground forces remaining in the theater. After the war, Wilson was District Engineer in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

(1946–49), and Mobile, Alabama (1949–52), and then South Atlantic (1952–53) and Mediterranean Division Engineer (1953–55). He assumed command of the

18th Engineer Brigade The 18th Engineer Brigade (Theater Army) is an engineer brigade of the United States Army. It is currently a subordinate unit of 21st Sustainment Command (Theater) and is headquartered at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany. Soldiers of the ...

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard ...

, Missouri, in 1955. He served as Deputy Chief of Engineers for Construction from 1956 to 1960. Wilson was commanding general of the Army Engineer Center and

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fa ...

and commandant of the Army Engineer School in 1960–61. Wilson's military honors included a

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, a

and membership in the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

. Wilson retired as

on June 30, 1965, and died on December 6, 1985, in Mobile, Alabama. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

beside his wife and parents. Wilson was part of a military family. His younger brother John Newton Wilson (1913–1944) was a lieutenant colonel who was killed in the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

. His son Walter King Wilson III (1937–2008) also served in the Engineer Corps and reached the 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 ...

. The

General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge, more commonly known locally as the "Dolly Parton Bridge", consists of dual parallel tied through arches of weathering steel and beam viaducts of concrete that form one continuous span carrying four lanes of In ...

on I-65 near Mobile, Alabama was named in his honor.

Dates of rank

Decorations

References

* ''This article contains

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text from''

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Walter K. Jr. 1906 births 1985 deaths People from Escambia County, Florida United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Florida United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel Recipients of the Soldier's Medal UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni American military engineers United States Military Academy faculty United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Joint Forces Staff College alumni United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals United States Army Corps of Engineers Chiefs of Engineers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People from Mobile, Alabama Burials at Arlington National Cemetery