Evening star., 1959-11-24
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Chief Of Military Aid
Has Short Retirement

Retirement viii be short-lived
for the four-star general picked
by President Eisenhower to be
director Of the military assist
ance program for friendly ma
tions.
Officially, Gen. Williston B.
Palmer will retire next Monday
after more than 40 years of
Army duty. But, like a good
soldier, he will then obey orders
and return to active status
about January so he can take
over the newly-created Pen
tagon post.
I had planned to retire and
take it easy" the general said
yesterday. II was all set to get
out of the Washington rat-race.
Now, I'll be in the thick of
things"
Returned in October
Gen. Palmer, just past his
60th birthday, returned to
Washington in mid-October
after serving in Europe since
June. 1857, as commander-in-
chief Of Army forces there and
top United States deputy to
Gen. Lauris Norstad, supreme
NATO military commander.
All his efforts since then
were aimed toward retirement.
He had a small office in the
Pentagon to clear up unfin-
1Shed business. But he gave up
military quarters and got a CO.
operative apartment not far
from where he spent his boy
hood.
He had no plans to do any,
thing else before next spring.
Then a week ago yesterday,
he was asked If he would take
this new assignment.
"1naSmuch as I'm a bachelor
with no commitments, what
could I say?" he asserted. "I
was persuaded to take this as
O public duty"
Chief Of staff Rank
In the new job, Gen. Palmer
will be what amounts to chief
of staff for military aid. He
will have equal status with top
members of the military Joint
Chiefs Of Staff. although he
won't be a jos member him.
self. He'll work closely with
them from the office Of John
N. Irwin, Assistant Secretary
Of Defense for international
security affairs.
Gen. Palmer, who attended
WaShington's Western High
School before entering West
Point in 1917 for an accelerated
course that saw him graduate
in June, 1919, will bring to
the job a well-rounded back
ground in both the command
and administrative level.
Some of it was at the Penta-
gon from December, 1852, until
his assignment to Europe four
and-a-half years later. He was
there as assistant chief Of staff
for supply GO until Septem-
Der, 1854, when he was rede-
signated as the first deputy
chief Of staff for logistics. On
May l, 1855. he became the
Army's vice chief of staff.
In Battles in France
When World War II broke
out, Gen. Palmer was a lieu
tenant colonel. Less than two
years later, on August Z, 1912,
he got his first star. He COM
manded the 7th Corps Artillery
in the Normandy invasion and
in the capture of Cherbourg,
the st. Lo breakthrough and
other combat actions, including
the Battle Of the Bulge, the
encirclement Of the Ruhr, and
the drive across Germany to
the Elbe River.
In 1948, he was director of
logistics for the European COM
mand and its vice chief of staff
the following year. In Novem-
Der, 1949, he assumed command
Of the 82nd Airborne Division
at Fort Bragg, N. c., then the
End Armored Division at Fort
Hood, Tex, a year later. He
took the latter to Germany in
July. 1851, Six months after
ward he was back in combat
again as commanding general
OF the 10th Corps in Korea. II
From Army Family
Gen. Palmer comes from an