Samuel V. Wilson
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Samuel Vaughan Wilson (born 1923), aka "General Sam", completed his active military career in the fall of 1977, having divided his service almost equally between special operations and intelligence assignments. He perhaps is best known today for his successful tenure as President of Hampden-Sydney College
from 1992–2000 and earlier tour as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
from May 1976-August 1977; for his foundational work in doctrine for small wars down at the lower end of the spectrum of conflict (low intensity conflict), where he coined the term "counterinsurgency" (COIN); and for facilitating the drafting and passage of the Nunn-Cohen Amendment to the Goldwater-Nichols Act
creating the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (ASD/SOLIC). He is also credited for helping to create Delta Force
, the U.S. Army's premier counterterrorism unit. As a general officer, some of his assignments included: Assistant Division Commander (Operations), 82nd Airborne Division; (First) United States Defense Attaché
to the Soviet Union; Deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence
for the Intelligence Community; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In his post-military career, he has been a Professor of Political Science and subsequently Wheat Professor of Leadership at the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden–Sydney.
hard by the Saylers Creek battlefield, where on 6 April 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia
fought its final battle before limping on westward to surrender three days later at Appomattox Courthouse
. As a boy, Sam Wilson, his imagination fired with the imagery of war, often rode his pony over the battlefield area looking for the footprint of two armies locked in combat. What still remained of his meager spare time after arduous farm chores was spent hunting, fishing, reading and pursuing his musical interests. His mother had been a public school teacher, and his father was a country philosopher, gifted storyteller, sometime-poet and ruling elder in the local Presbyterian church. Both parents taught Sunday school – his mother was his first Sunday School teacher - and saw to it that the Wilson siblings were raised in the Church. Both parents were readers and deeply influenced their children to love books and enjoy reading, especially history. Sam began his formal education in the fall of 1929, daily walking the two miles one-way to Rice High School and return to the farm. He graduated at the head of his class on 26 May 1940. Two weeks later, with the rebroadcast words of Winston Churchill
before the House of Commons in the immediate aftermath of the French-British retreat and evacuation at Dunkirk
ringing in his ears, he jogged seven miles through a rainy night from the family farm to the local National Guard
armory, where he added two years to his actual age to qualify and was sworn into military service.
, the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the Air War College
, where he was the distinguished graduate in the Class of 1964. Following World War II, General Wilson studied at Columbia University
and in Europe as a member of the US Army Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP), later known as the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Program, mastering several languages and becoming a specialist on the former Soviet Union
. He has attended a number of night schools, taken numerous correspondence courses and is the recipient of several honorary degree
s.
(116th Infantry Regiment, Virginia National Guard
) as a 16-year old private
bugler in June 1940. By early 1942, he had become successively a Squad Leader
, Platoon Sergeant
and Acting First Sergeant
before being sent to Infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS)
, where he graduated as an 18-year old Second Lieutenant
at the head of his class and was selected to remain at The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
, as an instructor.
As a young officer, Wilson taught guerilla and counterguerilla tactics at the Infantry School at Fort Benning
, Georgia, in 1942 and 1943. In 1943, already a First Lieutenant
at the age of 19, he joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
and subsequently responded to a presidential call for volunteers for “a dangerous and hazardous mission” to be undertaken by an elite regimental-sized unit. This move resulted in his becoming Chief Reconnaissance Officer for the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
, better known as Merrill's Marauders
, which operated behind enemy lines in Burma during World War II
. His role in that theater was later memorialized in Charlton Ogburn
's book The Marauders, which subsequently was made into the 1962 movie Merrill's Marauders (film)
. Then-Lt. Col. Wilson served as technical advisor
for the film and was cast as General Merrill's deputy "Bannister" under the pseudonym Vaughan Wilson; he also appeared in the film trailer introducing the film and narrating the trailer.
Upon returning stateside from the China-Burma- India Theater
as a combat veteran in fall 1944 with his fifth consecutive appointment in hand to the US Military Academy
, Wilson was denied admission to West Point for medical reasons. His tour in Burma had ended with multiple medical ailments, including malaria, amoebic dysentery, mite typhus and severe malnutrition. At this juncture he returned to The Infantry School
where he developed and taught courses in military leadership for the next two years.
During this period he applied for and was granted a commission in the Regular Army. This move exposed the fact that he had been a fraudulent enlistment, having told a “white lie” earlier about his age, and resulted in his being appointed a Second Lieutenant
in the Regular Army as of age 21—by which time he had already become a combat-experienced Captain, Army of the United States (AUS).
In September 1947, although he was only a high school graduate from a small rural school, he entered the Army's Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP)
and was enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University, specializing in the Russian language
and related background and area subjects.
Following a successful stint in graduate school, he was assigned for 3½ years to Europe as a language and area student, where he developed near-native fluency in the Russian language
, as well as a working knowledge of several other languages. Noteworthy extra-curricular activities during this period included being assigned to the State Department’s Diplomatic Pouch and Courier Service
, which led to extensive travels throughout the Iron Curtain
countries and the Soviet Union, as well as to other countries peripheral to the USSR; functioning as an official interpreter in Berlin
, Potsdam
and Vienna
; and serving in a liaison capacity with elements of the Soviet Armed Forces in East Germany and in Eastern Austria.
Newly promoted to Major
, Wilson returned to Washington and was assigned to the General Staff (Intelligence) in fall 1951, where he handled a variety of sensitive special projects until re-assignment to attend the Infantry Officers Advanced Course
in 1953. Upon graduation from this course, he was placed on special assignment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
, where he worked on Coordinating Board (OCB) matters as a consultant on Soviet affairs. In the fall of 1955, Wilson began a three -year assignment with CIA’s clandestine services
, serving part of this period as a CIA
case officer running a series of clandestine operations against the Soviet Union from a cover office in West Berlin
.
His success in obtaining Soviet secrets allegedly led the Soviets to send a false defector on an ultimately unsuccessful assassination mission.
Following completion of the US Army Command and General Staff Course and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
, LTC Wilson was assigned in June 1959 as Director of Instruction of the US Army Special Warfare School, Fort Bragg, NC. Over the next two years, he gained considerable notoriety for his foundational work on doctrine for small wars, insurgency and counter-insurgency
. In June 1961 he was appointed Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, serving in that capacity for the next two years and playing a key staff support role at such critical moments as the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962
.
Upon graduation from the US Air War College
in Spring 1964, LTC Wilson was placed on loan with the State Department and assigned to the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
under the terms of the Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA). In this capacity, he was employed at the temporary rank-equivalent of a Class One Foreign Service Officer
and posted to Nam as Associate Director for Field Operations, where he was concerned with pacification and nation building efforts by the Americans and South Vietnamese. Some sixteen months later, he was appointed by the US Ambassador to Vietnam as United States Mission Coordinator and Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Saigon
, receiving in connection with this latter post a presidential appointment to the personal rank of Minister
.
Returning to active military duty in the summer of 1967, Wilson, now an Army Colonel
- his military service had been continued for promotion and retirement purposes during his temporary foreign service appointment, assumed command at Fort Bragg
of the 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne), with a mission orientation on the Middle East
. He was shifted From this post in 1ate 1969 to the position of Assistant Commandant of the newly-named US Army John F. Kennedy Institute for Military Assistance (formerly the US Army Special Warfare School), where he again worked on doctrinal concepts pertaining to the role and mission of US military advisor
s - especially in insurgency, counter-insurgency and nation building environments—and played a key role in the establishment of the Military Assistance Officers Program (MAOP), which subsequently was merged with the Army’s Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP)
under the designation Foreign Area Officers Program (FAOP)
. Upon being selected for promotion to Brigadier General
in the summer of 1970, he was assigned as Assistant Division Commander for Operations, 82nd Airborne Division
Between 1971 and 1973 Brigadier General Wilson was US Defense Attaché (USDATT)
in the US embassy in Moscow, USSR
, at the height of the Cold War
. He was the first General Officer to hold that particular portfolio. (He reportedly was the CIA
Chief of Station during that same period.) A former US Marine Corporal recalls in an article that Wilson knew each embassy Marine by name and was considered “our general” by the Marine contingent there.
General Wilson’s 1971-73 tour in Moscow was marked by his achievement of marked professional rapport with senior officers of the Soviet military high command. His near-native fluency in Russian, plus the fact that he earlier had majored in Russian and Soviet history—especially military history—and had practically memorized the major battles on the Soviet-German front during the course of World War II, provided a fortuitous entré into Soviet military circles on which he fully capitalized. His insights into Soviet strategic and doctrinal thinking gained thereby were subsequently recognized as critically useful to policy makers and planners of the US national security establishment.
Wilson again returned stateside, and between 1973 and 1976 held positions in the Defense Intelligence Agency
as Deputy Director for Estimates and Deputy Director for Attaché Affairs, followed by an assignment in the rank of Lieutenant General
as Deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence for the Intelligence Community (D/DCI/IC.)
In May 1976, Wilson, now a Lieutenant General, was tapped as the new Director
of the Defense Intelligence Agency
and oversaw the agency through "the death of Mao Zedong
, aircraft hijackings
, unrest in South Africa
, and continuing Mideast dissension." link Director Wilson gave a speech to retired intelligence officers in September 1976, which was declassified in 1993 and included the following notable excerpts:
Wilson is also credited with this statement, recognized and appreciated by intelligence veterans: "Ninety percent of intelligence comes from open sources. The other ten percent, the clandestine work, is just the more dramatic. The real intelligence hero is Sherlock Holmes
, not James Bond
." Link
Responding to the precarious health condition of his wife, Wilson retired on 31 August 1977. On his return he walked back in the late evening from the local National Guard armory to the family farm, retracing his steps over the same seven-mile route he had traversed 37 years earlier to enter military service.
and continued to consult with and provide advice to intelligence leaders, legislators and U.S. Presidents, including former CIA Director William Colby, then-Senator Al Gore
and President George H.W. Bush.
In 1992 Wilson became President of Hampden-Sydney College and served an 8-year term during which he shepherded the College through major challenges such as the College's contentious internal debate over whether to remain all-male (it did) and a major capital campaign drive. He remains a much-beloved figure on campus, as a Fellow of the eponymous Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest. http://www.hsc.edu/Wilson-Leadership.html
In 1993, Wilson was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger
Hall of Fame "for heroism, extraordinary achievement, and continued service to his country and the special operations community." link
General Wilson is also a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
.
A recent letter to him from General David H. Petraeus
, Commanding General, USCENTCOM
, reflects the fact that Wilson’s earlier work on doctrine for small wars, insurgency, counterinsurgency and nation-building is still considered to be useful.)
, Defense Distinguished Service Medal
, Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star
for “Gallantry in action” with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit
with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star
for Valor with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal (for enlisted service), American Defense Service Medal
, Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal
with two stars, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Service Medal
, National Defense Service Medal
, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
, Vietnam Service Medal
with four stars, Army Service Ribbon
, Army Overseas Service Ribbon
with numeral 2, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal
.
Unit awards include the Presidential Unit Citation
, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.
Badges include the Combat Infantryman Badge
, Master Parachutist Badge, Joint Staff Identification
, Army General Staff Identification Badge
, Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
, Defense Intelligence Agency Badge, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge.
General Wilson is also the recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
(2x), the US Special Operations Distinguished Service Medal
, the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal
, the William Oliver Baker Award Oliver Baker Award (Intelligence), the Arthur D. “Bull” Simon
Award (Special Operations), the Annual Rylander Award from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), SOLIC Division, for outstanding contributions in Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC), and the Military Intelligence Corps Association Knowlton Award.
He has received the following awards from other nations: The Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (Republic of Vietnam), the Vietnamese National Administration Medal for Exemplary Service, Vietnam Campaign Medal
(Republic of Vietnam).
He was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge
in 1976.
{| style="width:100%;"
|-
|valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |U.S. military decorations
|-
|
|Distinguished Service Cross
|-
|
|Defense Distinguished Service Medal
|-
|
|Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
with two Oak Leaf Clusters
|-
|
|Silver Star
awarded for "Gallantry in action" with Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Legion of Merit
with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Bronze Star
with Valor Device with Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Army Commendation Medal
with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
|-
|
|Army Good Conduct Medal
(for enlisted service)
|-
|
|American Defense Service Medal
|-
|
|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
with 2 Stars
|-
|
|World War II Victory Medal
|-
|
|American Campaign Service Medal
|-
|
|National Defense Service Medal
|-
|
|Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
|-
|
|Vietnam Service Medal
with 4 stars
|-
|
|Army Service Ribbon
|-
|
|Army Overseas Service Ribbon
with numeral 2
|-
|
|Vietnam Gallantry Cross
with palm
|-
|
|Vietnam Campaign Medal
|-
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |Unit awards
|-
|
|Presidential Unit Citation
|-
|
|Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
|-
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |Qualification badges
|-
| align=center |
|Combat Infantryman Badge
|-
| align=center |
|Ranger Tab
|-
| align=center |
|Parachutist Badge (United States)
|-
| align=center |
|Army Staff Identification Badge
|-
| align=center |
|Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
|-
| align=center |
|Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
|-
|
|Defense Intelligence Agency Badge
|-
| align=center |
|Expert Marksmanship Badge
|-
| align=center |
|Combat Service
(WW II
)
|-
| align=center |
|Combat Service
(Vietnam War
)
|-
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |National non-military awards
|-
| align=center |
|National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
(2 awards)
|-
| align=center |
|CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal
|-
|}
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
from 1992–2000 and earlier tour as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
from May 1976-August 1977; for his foundational work in doctrine for small wars down at the lower end of the spectrum of conflict (low intensity conflict), where he coined the term "counterinsurgency" (COIN); and for facilitating the drafting and passage of the Nunn-Cohen Amendment to the Goldwater-Nichols Act
Goldwater-Nichols Act
The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 , , made the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since the department was established in the National Security Act of 1947 by reworking the command structure of the United States military...
creating the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
United States Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (ASD/SOLIC). He is also credited for helping to create Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
, the U.S. Army's premier counterterrorism unit. As a general officer, some of his assignments included: Assistant Division Commander (Operations), 82nd Airborne Division; (First) United States Defense Attaché
Defense Attaché System
The Defense Attaché System is a part of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the United States that provides military and civilian attachés to foreign governments.- History :...
to the Soviet Union; Deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence
Director of Central Intelligence
The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was the head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the principal intelligence advisor to the President and the National Security Council, and the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various United...
for the Intelligence Community; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In his post-military career, he has been a Professor of Political Science and subsequently Wheat Professor of Leadership at the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden–Sydney.
Early life
A native of Rice, Virginia, Samuel Vaughan Wilson grew up on a tobacco, corn and wheat farm in Southside VirginiaSouthside (Virginia)
Traditionally, the term Southside refers to the portion of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name....
hard by the Saylers Creek battlefield, where on 6 April 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
fought its final battle before limping on westward to surrender three days later at Appomattox Courthouse
Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...
. As a boy, Sam Wilson, his imagination fired with the imagery of war, often rode his pony over the battlefield area looking for the footprint of two armies locked in combat. What still remained of his meager spare time after arduous farm chores was spent hunting, fishing, reading and pursuing his musical interests. His mother had been a public school teacher, and his father was a country philosopher, gifted storyteller, sometime-poet and ruling elder in the local Presbyterian church. Both parents taught Sunday school – his mother was his first Sunday School teacher - and saw to it that the Wilson siblings were raised in the Church. Both parents were readers and deeply influenced their children to love books and enjoy reading, especially history. Sam began his formal education in the fall of 1929, daily walking the two miles one-way to Rice High School and return to the farm. He graduated at the head of his class on 26 May 1940. Two weeks later, with the rebroadcast words of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
before the House of Commons in the immediate aftermath of the French-British retreat and evacuation at Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
ringing in his ears, he jogged seven miles through a rainy night from the family farm to the local National Guard
Virginia Army National Guard
The Virginia Army National Guard is composed of approximately 7500 soldiers, 1200 airmen, and maintains 67 armories in 50 communities.The Governor may call individuals or units of the Virginia National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend...
armory, where he added two years to his actual age to qualify and was sworn into military service.
Education
Lieutenant General Wilson is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Advanced CourseUnited States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
, the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
, where he was the distinguished graduate in the Class of 1964. Following World War II, General Wilson studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and in Europe as a member of the US Army Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP), later known as the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Program, mastering several languages and becoming a specialist on the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He has attended a number of night schools, taken numerous correspondence courses and is the recipient of several honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s.
Military career
Sam Wilson had just completed high school when he joined the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
(116th Infantry Regiment, Virginia National Guard
Virginia National Guard
The Virginia National Guard consists of the Virginia Army National Guard and the Virginia Air National Guard. It is part of the Government of Virginia though the National Guard across the United States is mostly funded by federal monies. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges...
) as a 16-year old private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
bugler in June 1940. By early 1942, he had become successively a Squad Leader
Squad Leader
thumb|Squad Leader game package.Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer John Hill and focuses on infantry combat in Europe during World War II...
, Platoon Sergeant
Platoon Sergeant
In many militaries, a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon, who advises and supports the platoon's commanding officer in leading the unit.-Singapore:...
and Acting First Sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
before being sent to Infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS)
Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...
, where he graduated as an 18-year old Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
at the head of his class and was selected to remain at The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
, as an instructor.
As a young officer, Wilson taught guerilla and counterguerilla tactics at the Infantry School at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia, in 1942 and 1943. In 1943, already a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
at the age of 19, he joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and subsequently responded to a presidential call for volunteers for “a dangerous and hazardous mission” to be undertaken by an elite regimental-sized unit. This move resulted in his becoming Chief Reconnaissance Officer for the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
, better known as Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
, which operated behind enemy lines in Burma during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His role in that theater was later memorialized in Charlton Ogburn
Charlton Ogburn
Charlton Ogburn, Jr. was a journalist and author of memoirs and non-fiction works. He was also a well-known advocate of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship...
's book The Marauders, which subsequently was made into the 1962 movie Merrill's Marauders (film)
Merrill's Marauders (film)
Merrill's Marauders is a 1962 Cinemascope war film directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller based on the exploits of the jungle warfare unit of the same name in the Burma Campaign. The source is the non-fiction book The Marauders, written by Charlton Ogburn Jr., a communications officer who served...
. Then-Lt. Col. Wilson served as technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
for the film and was cast as General Merrill's deputy "Bannister" under the pseudonym Vaughan Wilson; he also appeared in the film trailer introducing the film and narrating the trailer.
Upon returning stateside from the China-Burma- India Theater
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
as a combat veteran in fall 1944 with his fifth consecutive appointment in hand to the US Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, Wilson was denied admission to West Point for medical reasons. His tour in Burma had ended with multiple medical ailments, including malaria, amoebic dysentery, mite typhus and severe malnutrition. At this juncture he returned to The Infantry School
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
where he developed and taught courses in military leadership for the next two years.
During this period he applied for and was granted a commission in the Regular Army. This move exposed the fact that he had been a fraudulent enlistment, having told a “white lie” earlier about his age, and resulted in his being appointed a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Regular Army as of age 21—by which time he had already become a combat-experienced Captain, Army of the United States (AUS).
In September 1947, although he was only a high school graduate from a small rural school, he entered the Army's Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP)
Detachment R
Detachment R was a special U.S. Army School initially located in a former Wehrmacht garrison in Oberammergau and later moved to Regensburg, Germany, where it remained from 1950 to 1954, when it was moved back to Oberammergau.The school operated as the two-year final component of the Army's Foreign...
and was enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University, specializing in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and related background and area subjects.
Following a successful stint in graduate school, he was assigned for 3½ years to Europe as a language and area student, where he developed near-native fluency in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, as well as a working knowledge of several other languages. Noteworthy extra-curricular activities during this period included being assigned to the State Department’s Diplomatic Pouch and Courier Service
Bureau of Diplomatic Security
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, more commonly known as Diplomatic Security, or DS, is the security and law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. DS is a world leader in international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, security technology, and...
, which led to extensive travels throughout the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
countries and the Soviet Union, as well as to other countries peripheral to the USSR; functioning as an official interpreter in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
; and serving in a liaison capacity with elements of the Soviet Armed Forces in East Germany and in Eastern Austria.
Newly promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, Wilson returned to Washington and was assigned to the General Staff (Intelligence) in fall 1951, where he handled a variety of sensitive special projects until re-assignment to attend the Infantry Officers Advanced Course
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
in 1953. Upon graduation from this course, he was placed on special assignment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is a headquarters-level staff of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It is the principal civilian staff element of the Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out authority, direction and control of the Department...
, where he worked on Coordinating Board (OCB) matters as a consultant on Soviet affairs. In the fall of 1955, Wilson began a three -year assignment with CIA’s clandestine services
National Clandestine Service
The National Clandestine Service is one of the four main components of the Central Intelligence Agency...
, serving part of this period as a CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
case officer running a series of clandestine operations against the Soviet Union from a cover office in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
.
His success in obtaining Soviet secrets allegedly led the Soviets to send a false defector on an ultimately unsuccessful assassination mission.
Following completion of the US Army Command and General Staff Course and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, LTC Wilson was assigned in June 1959 as Director of Instruction of the US Army Special Warfare School, Fort Bragg, NC. Over the next two years, he gained considerable notoriety for his foundational work on doctrine for small wars, insurgency and counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
. In June 1961 he was appointed Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, serving in that capacity for the next two years and playing a key staff support role at such critical moments as the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
Upon graduation from the US Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
in Spring 1964, LTC Wilson was placed on loan with the State Department and assigned to the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
under the terms of the Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA). In this capacity, he was employed at the temporary rank-equivalent of a Class One Foreign Service Officer
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
and posted to Nam as Associate Director for Field Operations, where he was concerned with pacification and nation building efforts by the Americans and South Vietnamese. Some sixteen months later, he was appointed by the US Ambassador to Vietnam as United States Mission Coordinator and Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Saigon
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
, receiving in connection with this latter post a presidential appointment to the personal rank of Minister
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
.
Returning to active military duty in the summer of 1967, Wilson, now an Army Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
- his military service had been continued for promotion and retirement purposes during his temporary foreign service appointment, assumed command at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
of the 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne), with a mission orientation on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He was shifted From this post in 1ate 1969 to the position of Assistant Commandant of the newly-named US Army John F. Kennedy Institute for Military Assistance (formerly the US Army Special Warfare School), where he again worked on doctrinal concepts pertaining to the role and mission of US military advisor
Military advisor
Military advisors, or combat advisors, are soldiers sent to foreign nations to aid that nation with its military training, organization, and other various military tasks. These soldiers are often sent to aid a nation without the potential casualties and political ramifications of actually...
s - especially in insurgency, counter-insurgency and nation building environments—and played a key role in the establishment of the Military Assistance Officers Program (MAOP), which subsequently was merged with the Army’s Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (FASTP)
Detachment R
Detachment R was a special U.S. Army School initially located in a former Wehrmacht garrison in Oberammergau and later moved to Regensburg, Germany, where it remained from 1950 to 1954, when it was moved back to Oberammergau.The school operated as the two-year final component of the Army's Foreign...
under the designation Foreign Area Officers Program (FAOP)
Foreign area officer
A Foreign Area Officer is a commissioned officer from any of the four branches of the United States Armed Forces who is a regionally focused expert in political-military operations. Such officers possess a unique combination of strategic focus and regional expertise, with political, cultural,...
. Upon being selected for promotion to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in the summer of 1970, he was assigned as Assistant Division Commander for Operations, 82nd Airborne Division
Between 1971 and 1973 Brigadier General Wilson was US Defense Attaché (USDATT)
Defense Attaché System
The Defense Attaché System is a part of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the United States that provides military and civilian attachés to foreign governments.- History :...
in the US embassy in Moscow, USSR
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, at the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. He was the first General Officer to hold that particular portfolio. (He reportedly was the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Chief of Station during that same period.) A former US Marine Corporal recalls in an article that Wilson knew each embassy Marine by name and was considered “our general” by the Marine contingent there.
General Wilson’s 1971-73 tour in Moscow was marked by his achievement of marked professional rapport with senior officers of the Soviet military high command. His near-native fluency in Russian, plus the fact that he earlier had majored in Russian and Soviet history—especially military history—and had practically memorized the major battles on the Soviet-German front during the course of World War II, provided a fortuitous entré into Soviet military circles on which he fully capitalized. His insights into Soviet strategic and doctrinal thinking gained thereby were subsequently recognized as critically useful to policy makers and planners of the US national security establishment.
Wilson again returned stateside, and between 1973 and 1976 held positions in the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
as Deputy Director for Estimates and Deputy Director for Attaché Affairs, followed by an assignment in the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
as Deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence for the Intelligence Community (D/DCI/IC.)
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
In May 1976, Wilson, now a Lieutenant General, was tapped as the new Director
Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
The Director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency is a three-star military officer and is the highest ranking intelligence officer in the Department of Defense. He is the primary military intelligence advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and also...
of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
and oversaw the agency through "the death of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, aircraft hijackings
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
, unrest in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and continuing Mideast dissension." link Director Wilson gave a speech to retired intelligence officers in September 1976, which was declassified in 1993 and included the following notable excerpts:
The revelation of true intelligence secrets makes exciting reading in the morning paper. It is soon forgotten by most readers, but not by our adversaries. Enormously complex and expensive technical intelligence collection systems can be countered. Need I remind this particular audience that dedicated and courageous men and women who risk their lives to help America can be exposed and destroyed? I don't think the American people want this to happen especially when our adversaries dedicated to the proposition that we eventually must be defeated-are hard at work. But Americans must understand or they will inadvertently cause this to happen.
[O]ur primary function is to provide the leadership of this nation with the deepest possible understanding of the military, political, social, and economic climate of countries that affect vital American interests. Our mission is to see that our leaders know about what may happen in the world beyond our borders and about the forces and factors at work there. The American taxpayer should know we do this job well, despite our problems.
Click here for full speech
Wilson is also credited with this statement, recognized and appreciated by intelligence veterans: "Ninety percent of intelligence comes from open sources. The other ten percent, the clandestine work, is just the more dramatic. The real intelligence hero is Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, not James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
." Link
Responding to the precarious health condition of his wife, Wilson retired on 31 August 1977. On his return he walked back in the late evening from the local National Guard armory to the family farm, retracing his steps over the same seven-mile route he had traversed 37 years earlier to enter military service.
Civilian career
After leaving the Army and CIA Directorship in August 1977, Wilson began teaching at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, VirginiaHampden Sydney, Virginia
Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,264 at the 2000 census...
and continued to consult with and provide advice to intelligence leaders, legislators and U.S. Presidents, including former CIA Director William Colby, then-Senator Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and President George H.W. Bush.
In 1992 Wilson became President of Hampden-Sydney College and served an 8-year term during which he shepherded the College through major challenges such as the College's contentious internal debate over whether to remain all-male (it did) and a major capital campaign drive. He remains a much-beloved figure on campus, as a Fellow of the eponymous Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest. http://www.hsc.edu/Wilson-Leadership.html
In 1993, Wilson was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger
Army Ranger
Army Ranger can refer to:* Canadian Rangers, a component of the army of the Canadian Forces* Irish Army Rangers* Pakistan Army Rangers* United States Army Rangers* Vietnamese Rangers, part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam...
Hall of Fame "for heroism, extraordinary achievement, and continued service to his country and the special operations community." link
General Wilson is also a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence...
.
Selected post-military retirement activities
Activities following retirement from the Army and DIA Directorship in August 1977 include the following:- 1977-81 Participated in consultant capacity in organization and development of US Army SFODDELTA (“Delta Force”)Delta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
- 1978-90 Senior Consultant BETAC Corporation
- 1980 Vice Chairman of special commission to review aborted (Iranian Hostage Rescue MissionIran hostage crisisThe Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
- 1980-86 Chairman, Korean War|Virginia Korea-Viet Nam War History Commission
- 1982-92 Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
, Virginia
- 1983-87 Vice Chairman, Longwood CollegeLongwood UniversityLongwood University is a four-year public, liberal-arts university located in Farmville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 and became a university on July 1, 2002...
Board of Visitors
- 1985-87 Part-time consultant to Senate and House Armed Service CommitteesUnited States Senate Committee on Armed ServicesThe Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
on US Special Operations (Here he won special recognition for his role as facilitator of what became the Nunn-Cohen Amendment to Goldwater-Nichols Act, establishing the US Special Operations CommandUnited States Special Operations CommandThe United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
and the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (ASD/SOLIC).
- 1992-2000 22d President of Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
(Note: During an 8-year term he shepherded Hampden-Sydney through major challenges such as the College's contentious internal debate over whether to remain all-male /it did/ and a major capital campaign drive.)
- 2000 President Emeritus of Hampden-Sydney College and Wheat Professor of Leadership
- 2007 Named first “Wilson Fellow” in Samuel V. Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest, Hampden-Sydney College
(Note: Although working in a part-time retirement status, General Wilson continues as a pro bono consultant in the Special Operations and Intelligence arenas at various levels in the US Government.
A recent letter to him from General David H. Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
, Commanding General, USCENTCOM
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
, reflects the fact that Wilson’s earlier work on doctrine for small wars, insurgency, counterinsurgency and nation-building is still considered to be useful.)
Military awards, decorations and badges
Lieutenant General Wilson’s personal awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
, Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
, Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for “Gallantry in action” with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
for Valor with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal (for enlisted service), American Defense Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
, Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
with two stars, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...
, Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
with four stars, Army Service Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990....
, Army Overseas Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon
An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,...
with numeral 2, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...
.
Unit awards include the Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.
Badges include the Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
, Master Parachutist Badge, Joint Staff Identification
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
The Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge is a U.S. Military badge presented to the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon appointment to position as either a Service Head, Vice Chairman, or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The decoration is also authorized to staff and...
, Army General Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
The Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army and its agencies. Neither an award nor a decoration, the badge is a distinguishing emblem of...
, Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge is a military badge issued to members of the United States armed forces who are permanently assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and its subordinate offices, and in addition, to some of the Defense Agencies and Department of...
, Defense Intelligence Agency Badge, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge.
General Wilson is also the recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
The National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal is the highest decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community...
(2x), the US Special Operations Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
, the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal
Distinguished Intelligence Medal
The Distinguished Intelligence Medal is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency for performance of outstanding services or for achievement of a distinctly exceptional nature in a duty or responsibility.-Notable Recipients:Robert G. Brewster...
, the William Oliver Baker Award Oliver Baker Award (Intelligence), the Arthur D. “Bull” Simon
Arthur D. Simons
Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons was a US Army Special Forces officer, best known for leading the Son Tay raid, an attempted rescue of American prisoners of war from a North Vietnamese prison at Son Tay.-Early life:Arthur David Simons was born in New York City, moving to Missouri in his youth...
Award (Special Operations), the Annual Rylander Award from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), SOLIC Division, for outstanding contributions in Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC), and the Military Intelligence Corps Association Knowlton Award.
He has received the following awards from other nations: The Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm (Republic of Vietnam), the Vietnamese National Administration Medal for Exemplary Service, Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...
(Republic of Vietnam).
He was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge
Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The Foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S., and sits on ground that was once part of...
in 1976.
{| style="width:100%;"
|-
|valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |U.S. military decorations
|-
|
|Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
|-
|
|Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
|-
|
|Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
with two Oak Leaf Clusters
|-
|
|Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
awarded for "Gallantry in action" with Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with Valor Device with Oak Leaf Cluster
|-
|
|Army Commendation Medal
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
|-
|
|Army Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
(for enlisted service)
|-
|
|American Defense Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
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|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
with 2 Stars
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|World War II Victory Medal
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|American Campaign Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
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|National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
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|Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...
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|Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
with 4 stars
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|Army Service Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990....
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|Army Overseas Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon
An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,...
with numeral 2
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|Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Vietnam Gallantry Cross
The Vietnam Gallantry Cross was a military decoration of South Vietnam which wasestablished in August 1950. Also known as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Gallantry Cross was awarded to any military personnel who have accomplished deeds of valor or displayed heroic conduct while fighting an...
with palm
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|Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...
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| colspan=2 |Unit awards
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|Presidential Unit Citation
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|Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
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| colspan=2 |Qualification badges
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|Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
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|Ranger Tab
Ranger Tab
The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...
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|Parachutist Badge (United States)
Parachutist Badge (United States)
The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...
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|Army Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
The Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army and its agencies. Neither an award nor a decoration, the badge is a distinguishing emblem of...
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|Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge is a military badge issued to members of the United States armed forces who are permanently assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and its subordinate offices, and in addition, to some of the Defense Agencies and Department of...
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|Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
The Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge is a U.S. Military badge presented to the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon appointment to position as either a Service Head, Vice Chairman, or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The decoration is also authorized to staff and...
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|Defense Intelligence Agency Badge
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|Expert Marksmanship Badge
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|Combat Service
Combat Service Identification Badge
A United States Army Combat Service Identification Badge is a metal heraldic device worn on the right pocket of the new Army Service Uniform that uniquely identifies combat service with major U.S...
(WW II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
)
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|Combat Service
Combat Service Identification Badge
A United States Army Combat Service Identification Badge is a metal heraldic device worn on the right pocket of the new Army Service Uniform that uniquely identifies combat service with major U.S...
(Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
)
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| colspan=2 |National non-military awards
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|National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
The National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal is the highest decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community...
(2 awards)
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|CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal
Distinguished Intelligence Medal
The Distinguished Intelligence Medal is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency for performance of outstanding services or for achievement of a distinctly exceptional nature in a duty or responsibility.-Notable Recipients:Robert G. Brewster...
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Selected other recognition and awards
- 1966 Appointed to personal rank of Minister by President of the United States
- 1987 US Military Intelligence Hall of FameMilitary Intelligence Hall of FameThe Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence...
- 1987 Professor Emeritus, US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School
- 1988 Defense Intelligence AgencyDefense Intelligence AgencyThe Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
US Attaché Hall of Fame
- 1989 Appointed Honorary Colonel, 75th US Army Ranger Regiment75th Ranger Regiment (United States)The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
- 1992 Named State of Virginia Cultural Laureate for Public Service by Virginia Cultural Laureate FoundationCulture of VirginiaThe Culture of Virginia refers to the distinct human activities and values that take place in, or originate from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia's historic culture was popularized and spread across America and the South by Washington, Jefferson, and Lee, and their homes represent Virginia as...
- 1993 U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame "for heroism, extraordinary achievement, and continued service to his country and the special operations community."
- 1994 Winner and First Recipient of General Doolittle Educator of the Year Award for Distinguished Service to Special Operations Education
- 1994 Professor Emeritus for Collection Operations, National Defense Intelligence College (formerly the Joint Military Intelligence CollegeNational Defense Intelligence Collegesee also main article Staff collegeThe National Intelligence University, , is an accredited education and research institution serving the United States Intelligence Community by preparing personnel for senior positions in the U.S...
, Defense Intelligence AgencyDefense Intelligence AgencyThe Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
- 2000 President Emeritus, Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
External links
- Wilson introduces film trailer of "Merrill's Maruaders" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QwVESiCAfg