Samuel Tankersley Williams Samuel Tankersley Williams ( August 25 , 1897 – April 26 , 1984 ) was a United States Army Lieutenant General . Williams became prominent in Army history for being reduced in rank from brigadier general to colonel , and then resuscitating his career to again advance to general officer rank . He also commanded the 25th Infantry Division during the Korean War and served as commander of Military Assistance and Advisory Group – Vietnam , the predecessor to Military Assistance Command – Vietnam . Early life . Williams was born on August 25 , 1897 in Denton , Texas . In May , 1916 he enlisted as a private in the Texas National Guard and took part in the expedition against Pancho Villa . In August , 1917 Williams completed the officers training course at Camp Bullis , Leon Springs , Texas and received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Officer Reserve Corps . World War I . From 1917 to 1919 Williams served with the 359th Infantry Regiment in France . He took part in offensives including St . Mihiel , Meuse - Argonne , and Toul Sector , receiving a serious wound while commanding a company . Post World War I . Williams was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the regular Army in 1920 . He continued to serve in positions of increasing rank and responsibility during the 1920s and 1930s , including assignments with the 21st Infantry Regiment in Hawaii and the 29th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning , Georgia . Williams was also an avid polo player , and was a member of the Army team that won international championships in the 1920s . Williams completed the Infantry Company Officers Course at Fort Benning in 1926 , and the Infantry Officer Advanced Course in 1931 . He graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College in 1936 and the Army War College in 1938 . World War II . In 1943 Williams commanded the 378th Infantry Regiment and was promoted to brigadier general . Williams was then named assistant division commander of the 90th Infantry Division and took part in the Invasion of Normandy , landing at Utah Beach on D - Day plus 1 ( June 7 , 1944 ) . Williams and other 90th Division soldiers were on board the transport ship " Susan B . Anthony " when it struck a mine . Though he did not know how to swim , Williams supervised the evacuation of the wounded and transfer of soldiers to rescue craft , and then on to Utah Beach . He risked his life to venture below deck , overcoming smoke and darkness to ensure that everyone had been evacuated . He was the last one to leave the ship , which was evacuated without loss of life . Williams received the Soldier ' s Medal for this event . Demotion . Shortly after the D - day invasion , VII Corps commander Major General Lawton Collins decided that the 90th Infantry Division was not performing satisfactorily in combat . As a result , he relieved division commander Brigadier General Jay W . MacKelvie and two regimental commanders . MacKelvie ’ s successor , Eugene M . Landrum , was shortly afterwards involved in a verbal altercation with Williams and requested Williams ' reduction in rank from brigadier general to colonel and reassignment to a staff position . Corps Commander Troy Middleton concurred , and the action was carried out . After his reduction in rank , Henry Terrell , Jr . , who was acquainted with Williams from Terrell ' s time as commander of the 90th Division , requested Williams to be Terrell ' s Training and Operations officer , G - 3 for XXII Corps , planning and overseeing execution of missions in the European Theater of Operations . In the fall of 1944 , after Williams had been reduced in rank , the recommendation to award him the Silver Star was approved . Williams received the award for heroism performed on June 15 , 1944 as he assisted in maneuvering and positioning lead units of the 90th Division during an assault on Gourbesville . Near the end of the war Williams served as the XXII Corps Chief of Staff . Post World War II . In 1946 Williams was appointed commander of the 26th Infantry Regiment in West Germany , also serving as acting commander of the of the 1st Infantry Division . From 1950 to 1952 Williams served in the Operations and Training Office of the Army Field Forces , at Fort Monroe , Virginia . In 1951 he was promoted again to Brigadier General . Korean War . From 1952 to 1953 Williams commanded the 25th Infantry Division in Korea , earning the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star and receiving promotion to Major General . Post Korean War . Williams commanded the XVI Corps in Japan from 1953 to 1954 . From 1954 to 1955 Williams was commander of the IX Corps and deputy commander of the Eighth United States Army in South Korea . From January to September , 1955 Williams was commander of the Fourth United States Army at Fort Sam Houston , Texas , receiving promotion to Lieutenant General . Service in Vietnam . From 1955 until his 1960 retirement Williams commanded Military Assistance and Advisory Group – Vietnam , the first officer assigned to this position . Awards and decorations . General Williams received the Distinguished Service Cross , multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal , two awards of the Silver Star , the Soldier ' s Medal , the Bronze Star , and two awards of the Purple Heart . Citation for Distinguished Service Cross . The President of the United States of America , under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9 , 1918 , takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major General Samuel T . Williams , United States Army , for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Commanding General of the 25th Infantry Division . Major General Williams distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Chu - Dong , Korea , on the morning of 15 July 1953 . On that date , General Williams was advised of a large - scale enemy attack consisting of six hostile divisions and extending the width of the corps front . He immediately contacted all available sources of information in an effort to coordinate the defense . The reports he received were confused because of the scope of the battle , and General Williams realized that only through personal observation would he be able to secure the data he needed . Consequently , he flew in a helicopter to the scene of the battle . Dipping repeatedly to within a few feet of the hostile positions , General Williams noted the disposition of the foe without regard for the heavy fire directed against his craft . At one point , a bullet ripped through the plastic canopy of the helicopter , narrowly missing him . However , even this did not cause him to turn back . Instead , he passed again and again over the battle area until satisfied that he had gathered sufficient information upon which to base an effective defense . Only then did he return to his command post to plan and coordinate a counter operation which substantially reduced the fighting potential of the hostile force through the tremendous casualties they suffered . General Orders : Headquarters , Eighth U . S . Army , Korea Order : General Orders No . 710 , ( July 30 , 1953 ) Action Date : July 15 , 1953 Service : Army Rank : Major General Division : Commanding General , 25th Infantry Division Retirement and death . General Williams lived in San Antonio , Texas during his retirement . He died there on April 26 , 1984 and was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery , Section Ai , site 646 . Other . Williams ’ papers are stored at Stanford University ’ s Hoover Institution . Samuel T . Williams was the subject of a biography , 1990 ’ s " Hanging Sam : a Military Biography of General Samuel T . Williams from Pancho Villa to Vietnam " , by Harold J . Meyer .