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First Name: Frederick

Last Name: Weyand

Birthplace: Arbuckle, CA, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Middle Name: Carlton



Date of Birth: 15 September 1916

Date of Death: 10 February 2010

Rank: General

Years Served: 1938-1976
Frederick Carlton Weyand

   
Engagements:
•  World War II (1941 - 1945)
•  Korean War (1950 - 1953)
•  Vietnam War (1960 - 1973)

Biography:

Frederick Carlton Weyand
General, U.S. Army

Frederick Carlton Weyand was born on 15 September 1916 in Arbuckle, CA. He received his commission as a Second Lieutenant through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated in May 1938. He married Arline Langhart in 1940.

World War Two

From 1940-42, Weyand was assigned to active duty and served with the 6th Field Artillery. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1942 and served as Adjutant of the Harbor Defense Command in San Francisco from 1942-43. He moved on to the Office of the Chief of Intelligence for the U.S. War Department General Staff in 1944. He became Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence in the China-Burma-India Theater from 1944-1945. In the immediate aftermath of the war, he was in the Military Intelligence Service in Washington DC from 1945-46.

Post-World War II and Korean War

He was Chief of Staff for Intelligence, U.S. Army Forces, Middle Pacific from 1946-49. He graduated from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA, in 1950. From 1950-51, he was Commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment and the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, of the 3d Infantry Division during the Korean War.

Service Prior to the Vietnam War

He served on the faculty of the U.S. Army Infantry School from 1952-53. Following this assignment he attended the Armed Forces Staff College, and upon graduation became Military Assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management until 1954. He moved on to become Military Assistant and Executive to the Secretary of the Army from 1954-57. He graduated from the Army War College in 1958, then commanded the 3d Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, in Europe 1958-59. He served in the Office of the U.S. Commander in Berlin in 1960, then became Chief of Staff for the Communications Zone, U.S. Army, Europe from 1960-61. He was the Deputy Chief and Chief of Legislative Liaison for the Department of the Army from 1961-64.

Vietnam War

Weyand became Commander of the 25th Infantry Division, stationed in Hawaii, in 1964. He continued to lead the division as it was introduced into operations in Vietnam in 1965 and 1966. He served as the head of the 25th Division until 1967, when he became Deputy, then Acting Commander, and finally Commander of II Field Force, Vietnam responsible for III Corps Tactical Zone comprising the 11 provinces around Saigon. In 1968, he became Chief of the Office of Reserve Components.

A dissenter from General William Westmoreland's more conventional war strategy, Weyand's experience as a former intelligence officer gave him a sense of the enemy's intentions. He realized that "the key to success in Vietnam was in securing and pacifying the towns and villages of South Vietnam" (Mark Salter, John McCain "Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions"). Weyand managed to convince a reluctant General Westmoreland to allow him to redeploy troops away from the Cambodian border area and closer to Saigon; this significantly contributed to making the 1968 Tet Offensive a military catastrophe for North Vietnam.

In 1969, he was named the Military Advisor to Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge at the Paris Peace Talks. In 1970 he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development. Later in 1970, he became Deputy Commander and Commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). He was promoted to General in October 1970. He succeeded General Creighton Abrams (who became the Army Chief of Staff) as Commander of MACV on 30 June 1972. By the end of 1972, General Weyand had overseen the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from South Vietnam.

Post-Vietnam War Commands and Chief of Staff

He was Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, Pacific (1973); was Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (1973-74); and was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 3 October 1974-30 September 1976. As Chief of Staff he supervised Army moves to improve the combat-to-support troop ratio; to achieve a sixteen-division force; to enhance the effectiveness of roundout units; and to improve personnel and logistical readiness.

Weyand retired from active Army service in October 1976.

Confidential Source for 1967 New York Times Article

In an editorial in The New York Times on 11 December 2006, Murray Fromson, a reporter for CBS during the Vietnam War, stated that General Weyand had agreed to reveal himself as the confidential source for New York Times reporter R.W. Apple, Jr.'s 7 August 1967 story "Vietnam: The Signs of Stalemate." General Weyand, then commander of III Corps in Vietnam, was the unidentified high-ranking officer, who told Apple and Fromson (reporting the same story for CBS) that "I've destroyed a single division three times . . . I've chased main-force units all over the country and the impact was zilch. It meant nothing to the people. Unless a more positive and more stirring theme than simple anti-communism can be found, the war appears likely to go on until someone gets tired and quits, which could take generations." This story was the first intimation that war was reaching a stalemate, and contributed to changing sentiment about the war.

In Retirement

After retiring from the U.S. Army in 1976, Weyand moved to Honolulu, HI, which was also the home of the 25th Infantry Division. He became active in Hawaii community affairs and held a number of prominent business positions, including Corporate Secretary and Senior Vice President of First Hawaiian Bank between 1976 and 1982. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu and a Trustee of the now-dissolved Samuel M. Damon Estate, as well as the American Red Cross Hawaii Chapter, where he served as Chairman of the Board in 1992 and Director of the Honolulu Symphony. He was active in the Sony Open golf tournament, Shriners Club, the East-West Center, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and the Hawaii Theater.

He was also a member of the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and a member of several military and veteran organizations such as the Association of the United States Army, the Air Force Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the 25th Infantry Division Association, the Go for Broke Association (100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment), the 3rd Infantry Division Association, and the associated 7th Infantry Regiment Association.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Medal with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Bronze Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with Award Numeral 8
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
Korean Service Medal with Bronze Star
Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Bronze Stars
United Nations Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major General Frederick Carlton Weyand (ASN: 0-33736), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division. Major General Weyand distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 9 January and 3 February 1967 while serving as Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division. On 8 January, one of his companies became pinned down by intense Viet Cong fire. The unit had lost all radio contact and by nightfall was completely surrounded. Unmindful of the dangers, General Weyand accompanied the first helicopter into the besieged company early the next morning. He quickly organized the evacuation of the dead and wounded, and dauntlessly walked around the treacherous perimeter, comforting the casualties and encouraging the beleaguered defenders. His personal presence on the battlefield was a source of boundless inspiration and enabled his men to hold out until relief arrived. On 3 February, while flying over War Zone C, his pilot monitored a radio transmission stating that two vehicles and ten men were lost in hostile territory. The interrogation patrol had accidentally strayed into the Viet Cong infested terrain and all attempts to reach them by radio had failed. Realizing the urgency of the situation, General Weyand began a meticulous search of the area until he spotted the two vehicles heading deeper into hostile territory. Despite the threat of mines and numerous insurgents in the area, he ordered his pilot to land the aircraft. With complete disregard for his safety, General Weyand then jumped from the helicopter, flagged down the errant patrol and turned it around. As the vehicles headed back, he called for covering artillery fire and had his command ship fly low level escort until the patrol reached friendly lines. His singular courage and aggressive determination during both situations were responsible for saving the endangered lives of his men. Major General Weyand's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 804 (February 24, 1967)

Death and Burial

General Frederick Carlton Weyand died on 10 February 2010 of natural causes at his Kahala Nui retirement residence in Honolulu, HI. He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI.

He was survived by his wife Mary Weyand, whom he married after his first wife died in 2001, three children, two stepdaughters and two stepsons, and ten grandchildren.



Honoree ID: 358   Created by: MHOH

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