Military Leaders since World War II

152 Pages·1992·22.195 MB·English

by  Carl W. Borklund

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C. W. 3orklund
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NewYork•Oxford
MilitaryLeadersSinceWorldWarII
Copyright© 1992byC.W.Borklund
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Borklund,CarlW.
MilitaryleaderssinceWorldWarII/byC.W.Borklund
—
p. cm. (Americanprofiles)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Summary: DescribesthecareersofelevenmodernAmericanmilitary
figures, includingColinPowell,WilliamWestmoreland, EdwardRowny,
andJamesAbrahamson.
ISBN0-8160-2606-8
— — —
1. Generals UnitedStates Biography Juvenileliterature.
— — —
2.Admirals UnitedStates Biography Juvenileliterature.
— — —
3. UnitedStates ArmedForces Biography Juvenileliterature.
— —
[1. UnitedStates ArmedForces Biography.2. Generals.
3.Admirals.]I.Title. II. Series:Americanprofiles(FactsOn
File,Inc.
E840.4.B67 1992
355'.00922—dc20
[B] 91-41403
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1
Contents
Acknowledgments v
Introduction vii
General Colin L. Powell 1
General Matthew B. Ridgway 1
General William C. Westmoreland 22
General Creighton W. Abrams 34
General Edward L. Rowny 45
Admiral Arleigh A. Burke 56
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer 67
Vice Admiral John T. Hayward 78
General Lewis W. Walt 90
General George S. Brown 101
Lieutenant General James A. Abrahamson 113
Index 125
"
To
Carl E. Borklund
1904-1954
"His name ain't on no tablets;
In no park his statue stands.
All his life he grubbed for wages;
You could tell it by his hands.
And the things he left behind him
Wouldn't a sardine can.
fill
But I'd like to got to thank him
Just for bein m—y old man.
Anonymous
Acknowledgments
The author of this book received a great deal of voluntary,
invaluable help compiling it. The still-living military leaders' rec-
ollections and guidance were a key, of course. So was the infor-
mation and opinion given freely, over several hours oftheirtime,
—
bydozens ofothers friends, formercommanders of, orsubordi-
nates to, the leaders profiled here. (Many of those deserve the
distinction of "military leader.")
Dr. Alfred Goldberg, thePentagon'schiefhistorian, helpedsteer
me along a quick, efficient path to Facts On File, so to speak, in
the Pentagon, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force History
libraries. Obviously, sifting through their masses of data was
essential to completing this book.
Gatheringup thepictures forthisbookwaspossiblythe mostfun,
like thumbing through somebody else's old family album. Bertie
Sprigg, in the Office ofthe Assistant SecretaryofDefense forPublic
Affairs, made it that way, partly because she's a wizard at knowing
where all those old albums are filed. Beyond her aid, the National
Archives and the military history libraries' photo sections were
helpful, particularly those stafferswho "workedtheproblem" inthe
photo lab of Dr. Dean Allard's Naval Historical Center.
A special recognition should go to the wives, not only of those
leaders highlighted here, but military wives generally. The no-
madic life; the days, months, even years apart; the assaults by
enemies abroad or mostly political opponents at home; all put
terriblestrainsonamarriage. Manydon'tsurvive, somostofthose
thatdoarespecial. Maybeabookshouldbewrittenaboutmilitary
—
wives there's material enough. Two of the several gathered,
researching for this book, come quickly tc mind.
One is Mary Rita Leyko, wife of Ambassador/General Edward
Rowny. She suffered a crippling stroke in 1979, the year Rowny
resignedinprotestagainsttheproposedSALTIIarmstreaty. They
worked together, hard, on her recovery; and "cried tears ofjoy,"
says Rowny, some weeks later, when she was able to say "apple"
plainly. She died of cancer in 1988. Several people, I discovered,
shared one general's opinion that "Rita Rownywas bright, full of
energy, a terrificjudge ofpeople. She would have been a success
Military Leaders Since World War II
in any career she chose; she chose to be Ed Rowny's wife and the
mother oftheir five children."
Joint Chiefs Chairman George Brown said pretty much the
sameabouthiswife,Alice"Skip" Calhoun, inalettertosome 1,000
people at an Air Force Association banquet. Summoned to duty,
he had sent "Skip" to receive for him its highest honor, the H. H.
Arnold Award. Said Brown's letter, in part:
What I have accomplished over these years has been with herfaith,
trust, andfullsupport. In a sense, she represents allofthefine wives
who fulfill their roles so graciously and competently that their men
arefree togo around, receivingawards such a—s this one . . .
C. W. Borklund
vi