William Gilbert Townsend Tuttle, Jr.
General, U.S. Army

William Gilbert Townsend Tuttle, Jr. was born on 26 November 1935 in Portsmouth, VA. Upon graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in 1958, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and awarded a B.S. degree in Engineering. He also has Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard. His military education includes the Basic Officer Course at the U.S. Infantry School; the Transportation Basic and Advanced Officer Courses; the Armed Forces Staff College; and the U.S. Army War College.

Following graduate school, he commanded the 584th Transportation Detachment (Intelligence) and later served as the Transportation Plans Officer at Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea. In 1965, he joined the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy teaching economics and government. He also served a summer period as a Strategic Mobility Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems Analysis) and returned to West Point as an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, where he directed the Economics of National Security Course. Upon completing his tour at West Point in June 1968, he was assigned respectively as Executive Officer of the 9th Supply and Transport Battalion and 9th Infantry Division Transportation Officer in Vietnam.

In July 1969, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, VA. He was assigned to the Department of the Army in February 1970, serving as a Military Programs Staff Officer in the Directorate of Manpower Forces of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development. There he programmed the major portion of the Army's post-Vietnam reduction, as well as the withdrawal of a division from Korea. In February 1971, he joined the Office of the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff as the Logistics Analyst in the Office of the Coordinator of Army Studies. In the latter part of this tour, he helped develop the concept for the Army's 1973 reorganization, which created TRADOC and FORSCOM.

Assigned to Europe in 1972, he was Assistant Chief of Staff, Logistics, 3rd Armored Division, and later commanded that Division's 503rd Supply and Transport Battalion. He then attended the War College and wrote a chapter the War College's text, Army Command and Management. He served consecutively as Chief of Logistics, Division Restructuring Study, and as Chief of the Personnel and Logistics Systems Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Developments, TRADOC. He returned to Europe and served as Commander, Division Support Command, 3rd Armored Division from October 1977 through July 1979.

After being promoted to Brigadier General, he became the Commanding General, Eastern Area Military Traffic Management Command, until March 1981.

His next assignments included Deputy Commanding General for Logistics, TRADOC, and Commanding General, U.S. Army Logistics Center and Fort Lee, VA; Director of Force Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, HQDA; Chief of the Policy and Programs Branch, Policy Division, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE); and Commanding General, U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Agency.

His career culminated in his assignment as Commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command, from 27 September 1989 to 31 January 1992.

General Tuttle retired from the Army in 1992.

Medals, Awards, Badges & Tabs

Army Distinguished Service Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Award Numeral 4
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Vietnam Civil Actions Medal
Senior Parachutist Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
Ranger Tab

He was also awarded the Gold Cross of Honor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Honors

• In 1987 the City of Portsmouth, VA, chose him as one of its "Notables."

• General Tuttle was selected in 1991 to be the Army's 45th Kermit Roosevelt Lecturer at the British Senior Service Schools.