William B . Caldwell , III William B . Caldwell , III ( July 20 , 1925March 17 , 2013 ) was a United States Army general who served 32 years in the U . S . Army and retired as the Fifth U . S . Army commanding general at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio . A combat veteran of wars in Korea and Vietnam , he was awarded the Silver Star on three separate occasions for gallantry and heroism under fire . Coming from a long line of soldiers , his great - great - great - great grandfather , Thomas Maze , fought in the Revolutionary War , his grandfather served in the Union Army during the Civil War , his father was an Army Colonel during World War II retiring after 37 years of military service , and his son is a serving lieutenant general with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan . Early life and education . Caldwell was born on July 20 , 1925 at Fort Moultrie , South Carolina , into a military family . His father a soldier , and his grandfather fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War . Both of his parents were natural leaders and their home overflowed with friends associated with the military . Young Bill Caldwell basked in their camaraderie , emulated their character , and looked forward to the day when he could wear an officer ' s uniform . When Caldwell was 16 , he lived with his family at Schofield Barracks , Hawaii . On December 7 , 1941 , the Caldwells were horror - struck as they heard the roar of Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor and witnessed a Japanese plane strafe an officer running down their street . The next day , Bill helped at the base hospital and for the weeks that followed , drove an ammunition truck . Dependents were later evacuated from Hawaii ; Bill , his mother , and his sister moved to Los Angeles where he finished high school . One of Caldwell ' s childhood dreams was to attend West Point , but he didn ' t think he could get in and almost enlisted in the Marine Corps . He later said , " When the telegram came telling my family and me that I was accepted into West Point and I was to report there in two days or three days , I immediately caught a train out of El Paso and went to West Point . " Career . Commissioned as second lieutenant in the infantry in 1948 , he attended ground general school at Fort Riley , Kansas and the Infantry School at Fort Benning in Columbus , Georgia . While in Columbus , he met his future wife Tudy Dismuke . Soon after their marriage , Second Lieutenant Caldwell was assigned to the 1st Battalion , 34th Infantry Regiment , 24th Infantry Division , which served an a Japanese occupation force on Kyushu . His unit was later deployed to Korea and was one of the first U . S . combat troops there . For heroism and gallantry in the Korean War , he was awarded two Silver Star s and a Bronze Star with Valor . After the Korean War , Caldwell served in a variety of command staff positions in the United States and Europe . In 1954 , Caldwell served as Operations Officer for the 1st Infantry Division in Germany and in Fort Riley , Kansas . As he departed Fort Riley , his efficiency report highlighted that he is " . . . a positive and incisive thinker and meticulous planner . . . natural leader . . . possesses a well - developed sense of humor , tact and diplomacy . " Caldwell served at West Point twice during his career . First , as a tactical officer in 1960 and again as the commander of the Second Regiment of the U . S . Cadet Corps in 1968 – 69 . Caldwell loved West Point and imparted his tactical knowledge , dedication to the Army , and his leadership philosophy to the Corps of Cadets . During the Vietnam War , he served as a brigade commander for the 1st Brigade , 1st Infantry Division . When his brigade was under assault , Colonel Caldwell directed a counter - assault and was awarded his third Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross . After brigade command , he remained in Vietnam and served as a senior military advisor at the Civil Operations Development Center , III Corps . After a combat tour in the Vietnam War and his tour at the U . S . Military Academy , Caldwell and his family boarded the Queen Mary for an assignment at NATO ' s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ) . After three years in Belgium , he and his family moved to Germany where he served as Assistant Division Commander ( Maneuver ) of the Fourth and later the First Armored Division . In 1973 , Caldwell returned with his family to Washington , D . C . where he oversaw the dissemination of all foreign military aid from the Office of the Secretary of Defense . Then , he commanded the Army Training Center at Fort Jackson , South Carolina . He instituted the post ' s motto , " Victory Starts Here . " In 1975 , " Time " magazine did a profile of training the post - Vietnam War U . S . Army . Caldwell , who oversaw the effort to train an all - volunteer force said , " Our mission is to develop a highly motivated , disciplined soldier who knows the basic skills of his craft . Unlike the Marines — and I don ' t mean to criticize them — we don ' t first break a man down and then rebuild him . We think that he should be able to think for himself . He should respond to orders , but we don ' t want to set him in a mold . " Caldwell ' s installation was also considered to be the most gender friendly in the country and he actively supported the recruitment and integration of women in the U . S . Army . He held two final command positions before retirement in 1980 . His penultimate position was as commander for Readiness Region VI at Fort Knox , Kentucky . And in July 1978 , he was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of Fifth Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio . At Fifth Army , he oversaw the training of about 270 , 000 National Guardsmen and Army Reservists . Korean War . Caldwell ' s regiment was among the first U . S . forces committed to combat in Korea in July 1950 . Like many units at the time , Caldwell ' s regiment was understrengthed and ill - equipped for combat with North Korean forces . The regiment had no tank company and virtually no anti - tank capability . Much of their ammunition was old and the unit had limited medical support . The forces arrived in the port of Pusan in an old Japanese hospital ship and then pushed north via train to Taejon . At Pyongtek south of Suwon Air Base , Caldwell ' s regiment set up defensive positions with " Task Force Smith . " On July 19 , 1950 , a North Korean company ambushed Caldwell ' s platoon . Awarded his first Silver Star that day , the citation read " without regard for his own safety , he personally led an assault on the enemy ' s lines , and the men , inspired by his gallant example , overran the position . . . He fearlessly advanced into the face of withering fire , killed four of the enemy , reached his fallen men , and directed their evacuation to friendly positions . " The following day , American forces led by General William Dean were decimated . Lieutenant Caldwell and Captain Micky Marks scouted for help and commandeered a train to Yosu , which enabled the evacuation of their men who had no food or water for five days . Within two months of arriving on the Korean Peninsula , only 168 of the original 1 , 968 men remained . Caldwell ' s battalion was combined with others to become the 3rd Battalion , 19th Infantry , 24th Infantry Division . Bill had come to Korea as a platoon leader , but assumed company command and received a battlefield promotion to captain on August 30 , 1950 . With reinforcements , Caldwell ' s unit broke out of the Pusan Perimeter in early September and steadily proceeded northward to North Korea ' s capital by Thanksgiving . After the Chinese reinforced North Korea , American forces were pushed back . On February 3 , 1951 , Captain Caldwell led " L " Company , 19th Infantry Regiment to secure the approaches to the Han River . The enemy counter - attacked , but Caldwell ' s company rallied . He was awarded a second Silver Star that day . Part of the citation read , " With the enemy about to overrun his positions and the entire perimeter in danger , Captain Caldwell , completely disregarding personal safety , once again rallied his men and personally led a daring counterattack , employing rifles and grenades , which broke the back of the enemy ' s attack and forced him to withdraw leaving an estimated 100 dead . " Caldwell redeployed from Korea in August 1951 . He later remarked , " After Korea , you knew you could do anything . We had tackled the very worst that could ever happen . " Vietnam War . Five months after the birth of his last child , the newly appointed Colonel Caldwell reported for duty in Vietnam from 1967 - 8 initially as commander of the 1st Brigade , 1st Infantry Division . On February 24 , 1967 , Caldwell learned that his brigade was under heavy assault near Ap Gu and flew to the combat zone . He initially directed fire from the air ; after his helicopter landed in a non - secure area , COL Caldwell directed the counter - assault from the ground with his troops . Because of his actions that day , he was awarded his third Silver Star for gallantry in action against a hostile force . The citation partly read , " Although continuously exposed to intensive hostile fire . . . Through superb planning and tireless supervision . . . With complete disregard for his personal safety . . . His presence in the areas of heaviest conflict greatly inspired his men and they soon routed the large insurgent force . " For his heroism that day , Caldwell also received the Distinguished Flying Cross . From September 1967 to January 1968 , Caldwell served as a senior military advisor at the Civil Operations Development Center , III Corps . In this capacity , he oversaw the training and equipping of the South Vietnamese paramilitary forces . While not exercising command and control of RVN forces , he was present during many battles advising RVN commanders on tactics . Education . Caldwell spent one semester at Texas A & M University before attending Millard Preparatory School in Washington , D . C . . From there , he was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York . At West Point , he was among the top five for physical achievement and earned A ' s for boxing and golf . He also served as a member of the Brigade Staff . After graduation from West Point in 1948 , Caldwell served in posts throughout the country and the world . After serving as the operations officer for the 1st Division in Germany , he attended Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas . During 1963 – 64 , he attended the National War College and George Washington University , where he earned a Master ' s degree in international relations .