West Point ’41: The Class That Went to War and Shaped America

Contributors

xiii Contributors The following is a listing of officers interviewed for West Point ’41, followed by a brief reference to one or two career highlights for each prior to retirement. Below that are officers whose contributions to West Point ’41 were in the form of their oral histories and written recollections along with recollections from their families. Oral Interview Contributors Lt. General Edward L. Rowny: Former ambassador, adviser to five presidents, and chief negotiator for nuclear disarmament with the Soviets under President Reagan. Rowny was considered one of the architects of the U.S. policy of “peace through strength.” Rowny planned the Inchon Invasion in the Korean War. Lt. General Walter J. Woolwine: Served as director of logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was assistant deputy commander, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Earlier, he spearheaded the creation of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial on Omaha Beach. Brigadier General Charles W. Fletcher: Fletcher served as director of Industrial Preparedness Planning for the Department of Defense. Fletcher also developed the Army War College’s first course doctrine on military strategy. Brigadier General Wilson R. “Joe” Reed: Former commanding general charged with establishing the U.S. Army Computer Systems Command. Reed previously served on the U.S. Army Research and Development staff. Brigadier General Michael J. L. Greene: Greene was deputy commandant of the Army War College and previously commanding general, Headquarters Area Command, Vietnam. Earlier, he closed the “bulge” in the Battle of the Bulge. Colonel Henry R. Bodson: Served as commander of the Army’s first guided-missile program, planned the Nike air defense sites in Alaska, and commanded an atomic-capable Honest John rocket battalion. Colonel Charles J. Canella: Former chief of the U.S. Army Behavioral Sciences Division. Canella also served as senior adviser to the commanding general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam at its principal training center. Kazel-Wilcox - West Point.indb 13 3/19/2014 5:40:08 PM xiv ★ Contributors Colonel Robert H. Edger: Served in Army combat developments, and earlier was commander of the secret Pantex Ordnance Plant, involved in atomic weapons. Colonel A. G. W. “George” Johnson: Served as deputy chief of staff and comptroller, U.S. Army Area Command Europe, and as a military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Colonel Gerard A. “Jerry” La Rocca: La Rocca was director of the Apollo Tests and President Kennedy’s scientific advisor. He was formerly the director of missile tests at Cape Canaveral Space Center. Colonel Stanley M. Ramey: Served as chairman of the Department of Military Planning at the Army War College. Colonel Paul G. Skowronek: Skowronek was chief of the U.S. Military Liaison Mission in the Cold War Soviet Zone of East Germany, and served as military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria Colonel Herbert I. Stern: Served as Army member of President Eisenhower’s four-services Joint Advanced Study Group. Stern was also director of Strategic Studies for the Institute of Advanced Studies at the Army War College Lt. Colonel Windsor T. Anderson: Served on the NATO staff in Morocco and on the Jupiter missile program. Lt. Colonel Leslie W. “Ace” Bailey: Bailey was a general staff officer, Fourth Army Headquarters, and served as deputy post commander for the U.S. Army in Heidelberg, Germany. Lt. Colonel James P. Forsyth: Colonel Forsyth was inspector general at Army Materiel Command, which included investigations into sensitive procurements. Forsyth was a POW in World War II. Major Jacob H. Towers: Served as artillery battle staff officer at North American Aerospace Defense Command. Oral History, Written Recollections, and Family Contributions Lt. General John “Jack” Norton: Formerly deputy commander in chief at NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in southern Europe. Norton also served as commanding general, Combat Development Command, including overseeing development of the Black Hawk helicopter. Brigadier General Edwin L. “Spec” Powell: Served as deputy commanding general and chief of staff, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. Powell also served as director of Army Aviation, which included instituting trailblazing helicopter air mobility (initiated with classmates Rowny, Norton, and Alfred Moody). Kazel-Wilcox - West Point.indb 14 3/19/2014 5:40:08 PM Contributors ★ xv Colonel John F. Harris: Harris oversaw the Department of Defense’s Weapons System Management School, and was previously director of the Atlas Missile Program, which sent the world’s first communications satellite into space. Colonel John F...