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 military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

. 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 programs. ...

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 ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 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), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1929 and was commissioned in the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

. While on maneuvers with Company A, 7th Engineers in a remote part of

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, 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 genus, 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 sm ...

. 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 Soldier's Medal is equivalent ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

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, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, 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 Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the town of Wahiawā, separated ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

, 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 (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

(1946–49), and

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

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

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army, U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri The Ozarks, Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert, Missouri, St. Robert. The post was created in De ...

, 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), Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Lord ...

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, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

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 spec ...

, a

and membership in the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. Wilson retired as

on June 30, 1965, and died on December 6, 1985, in

. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

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 liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

. 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 (armed forces), 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 colon ...

. 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 ...

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) Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama Burials at Arlington National Cemetery