Years of service 1929–1965 Name Walter Wilson, | Rank Lieutenant General | |
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Born August 26, 1906
Fort Barrancas, Florida ( 1906-08-26 ) Allegiance United States of America Commands held Chief of Engineers (1961–1965) Awards Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)
Soldier's Medal Died December 6, 1985, Mobile, Alabama, United States Education United States Military Academy | ||
Battles/wars World War II
Cold War Service/branch United States Army Battles and wars World War II, Cold War | ||
Walter King Wilson Jr. (August 26, 1906 – December 6, 1985), was an officer of the United States Army with the rank of lieutenant general. He is most noted as a Chief of Engineers during 1961–65. He was the son of Major General Walter K. Wilson Sr.
Biography
He was born at Fort Barrancas, Florida, the son of artillery officer and World War II Major General Walter K. Wilson Sr. (1880–1954). He graduated from West Point in 1929 and was commissioned in the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Before 1942 he served with troops, continued his military and engineering education, and was an instructor at West Point. From 1942 to 1943, he commanded the 79th Engineer Combat Regiment
From 1943 to 1945, Wilson served as Deputy Engineer-in-Chief with the South East Asia Command at New Delhi, India, and Kandy, Ceylon. He became Commanding General, Advance Section, U.S. Forces, India-Burma Theater, and Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army in India. Later, he commanded Intermediate and Base Sections and consolidated all three, commanding all ground forces remaining in the theater.
After the war he was District Engineer in St. Paul, Minnesota (1946–49), and Mobile, Alabama (1949–52), and then South Atlantic (1952–53) and Mediterranean Division Engineer (1953–55).
He assumed command of the 18th Engineer Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in 1955.
He served as Deputy Chief of Engineers for Construction from 1956 to 1960. Wilson was commanding general of the Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir and commandant of the Army Engineer School in 1960–61.
Wilson's military honors included a Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, a Soldier's Medal and membership in the French Legion of Honor.
He retired as Chief of Engineers on June 30, 1965, and died on December 6, 1985, in Mobile, Alabama.
Wilson was part of a military family. His younger brother John Newton Wilson (1913–1944) was a lieutenant colonel who was killed in the Battle of Normandy. His son Walter King Wilson III (1937–2008) also served in the Engineer Corps and reached the rank of colonel.