William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland | |
|---|---|
Westmoreland in 1969 | |
| Nickname | "Westy" |
| Born | 26 March 1914 Saxon, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | 18 July 2005 (aged 91) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Service years | 1936–1972 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 0-20223 |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of the United States Army Military Assistance Command, Vietnam XVIII Airborne Corps 101st Airborne Division 187th Regimental Combat Team 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment 34th Field Artillery Battalion United States Military Academy |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal Eulji Order of Military Merit Taegeuk Order of Military Merit |
| Signature | |
William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968.
He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1968 to 1972.
In Vietnam, Westmoreland adopted a strategy of attrition against the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam, to drain them of manpower and supplies. He also made use of the United States' superiority in artillery and air power, employed in tactical confrontations and in relentless strategic bombing of North Vietnam.
As time went on and success was not gained, public support for the war diminished, especially after the Battle of Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive in 1968. When he was reassigned as Army Chief of Staff, American military forces in Vietnam had reached a peak of 535,000 personnel.
Westmoreland's strategy was ultimately politically and militarily unsuccessful, due to growing American casualties and reliance on conscription to increase the number of American troops. This undermined support for the war in the USA, and in addition high casualties among non-combatants weakened South Vietnamese support.