page_title: Roderick Wetherill
section_title: Roderick Wetherill Jr.
hierarchical_section_title: Roderick Wetherill / Roderick Wetherill Jr.
caption_attribution_description: The West Point Class of 2008 toss their covers after "class dismissed" is announced
context_page_description: Roderick "Rod" Wetherill Sr. was a notable officer of the United States Army from World War II through the Vietnam War. The official Army history of the War in southeast Asia considers him to have been a "key ... commander in Vietnam". He is the son of Richard Wetherill and Elenor Jane Eckerson.
context_section_description: Roderick "Rick" Wetherill Jr. (b. January 20, 1942 Highland Falls, New York, d. September 9, 1996 Fairfax, Virginia) was an officer of the United States Army from the Vietnam War through the Reagan administration's arms war. He was decorated with several high honors. He was educated at West Point Military Academy, like several of his male relatives, Wetherill Jr. was the son of Wetherill and Josephine Bolling, daughter of Army officer Alexander R. Bolling, who later became a Lieutenant General and former Chief of Army Intelligence. So many of Wetherill's relatives attended West Point—his father, a grandfather, and two uncles among them —that it was said his blood was "grey", which is the color of the uniforms at the Army's military academy. He was raised an army brat in Highland Falls, immediately south of the Academy; he was an Eagle Scout and football player at Highland Falls High School and graduated in 1960.
  He joined the Army, attended their preparatory school, and was class of 1965 at West Point. He also graduated from the Command and General Staff Schools of the Army.
  Wetherill served first in Germany before 1968, and finished Airborne and Ranger schools. During a tour in the Vietnam War, from 1968 to 1969, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Republic of Vietnam's Cross of Gallantry.
  He earned his M.B.A. while an advisor to the ROTC at the University of Arizona (1969–1973). He served with Army Support Group in Panmunjom, South Korea (1973–1974) the 1st Cavalry Division and executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry at Fort Hood (1975 to 1977), CGSC (1977 to 1979), Individual Training Division at the Pentagon (1979–1982), and Office of the Secretary of Defense (1982–1987), during the Cold War build-up. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. In addition to the Bronze Star and Cross of Gallantry, he earned a Meritorious Service Medal and the Defense Superior Service Medal. He was widely eulogized after his death.
caption: Both Wetherill and his son were graduates of West Point, and wore the famous grey uniform.
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