Retired Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded American troops in Vietnam, died Monday night. He was 91.
Westmoreland died of natural causes at Bishop Gadsden retirement home in Charleston, S.C., where he had lived with his wife for several years, said his son, James Ripley Westmoreland.
The silver-haired, jut-jawed officer, who rose through the ranks quickly in Europe during World War II and later became superintendent of West Point, contended the United States did not lose the war in Southeast Asia.
He would later say he did not know how history would deal with him.
“I have no apologies, no regrets. I gave my very best efforts,” he said. “I’ve been hung in effigy. I’ve been spat upon. You just have to let those things bounce off.”
William Childs Westmoreland was born near Spartanburg, S.C., on March 26, 1914, into a banking and textile family.
He was an Eagle Scout and attended The Citadel for a year before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Westmoreland saw action in North Africa, Sicily and Europe during World War II. He attained the rank of colonel by the time he was 30.
As commander of the 34th Field Artillery Battalion fighting German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, he earned the loyalty and respect of his troops for joining in the thick of battle rather than remaining behind the lines at a command post.
He was promoted to brigadier general during service in the Korean War and later served in the Pentagon under Army Chief of Staff Maxwell Taylor.
Westmoreland became the superintendent of West Point in 1960 and, by 1964, was a three-star general commanding American troops in Vietnam.
After his tour in Vietnam, Westmoreland was promoted to Army chief of staff.
Geraldine Fitzgerald starred on stage, screen
Geraldine Fitzgerald, who appeared in such classic 1930s films as “Dark Victory” and “Wuthering Heights” and later had a career on the New York stage, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91.
Fitzgerald died Sunday at her Manhattan home, Tom Goodman, a spokesman for Fitzgerald’s family, said Monday.
The Irish-born actress received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Isabella Linton in “Wuthering Heights” (1939), appearing with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon in director William Wyler’s memorable screen version of the Emily Bronte novel.
From Herald news services
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