William Benjamin Kean William Benjamin Kean ( 1897 – 1981 ) was a general in the United States Army . Early life . He was born William Benjamin Kean , Jr . , in Buffalo , New York on July 9 , 1897 . Kean graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1918 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry . World War I . After receiving his commission , Kean was assigned to the U . S . M . A . as a student officer . He then carried out an observation tour of battlefronts in Italy , Belgium and France , and was an observer of the Allied occupation in Germany . In late 1919 he returned to the United States and completed the Infantry Officer Course at Fort Benning , Georgia . Post - World War I . Kean carried out numerous assignments of increasing rank and responsibility , including a posting to Schofield Barracks , Hawaii . In 1925 he graduated from the Signal Officer Course , and in 1939 he was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College . World War II . In March , 1943 Kean was assigned as Chief of Staff of the 28th Infantry Division . Just a month later he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned as Chief of Staff for the U . S . II Corps , then fighting in North Africa under the command of Omar Bradley . In late 1943 he was assigned as Chief of Staff for First U . S . Army , commanded by Courtney Hodges , receiving promotion to Major General . Kean served in this position until the end of the war , and remained in Europe during the post - war occupation of Germany . While with II Corps Kean played a role in the incident in which General George S . Patton was accused of slapping a soldier . After Bradley had investigated , he entrusted the only copy of the written report to Kean , who was directed not to show it to anyone without Bradley ' s permission . During his assignment with First Army , Kean was one of the key planners of the D - Day invasion of Normandy . Post - World War II . From October 1947 to June 1948 Kean commanded the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Jackson , South Carolina . Korean War . In August 1948 Kean became commander of the 25th Infantry Division . Under his command the division successfully blocked the approaches to the port city Pusan in the summer of 1950 , for which it received the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . In October 1950 the 25th Division participated in the breakout from the Pusan perimeter and drive into North Korea . In November , Chinese Communist troops crossed the Yalu River and pushed back United Nations . Kean ' s division carried out a systematic withdrawal and took up defensive positions , first on the south bank of the Chongchon River , and then south of Osan . After planning and reorganization a new offensive was launched in January 1951 . By February Inchon and Kimpo Air Base had been recaptured , the first of several successful assaults on the Chinese / North Korean force that helped turn the tide in the United Nation ' s favor . Later in 1951 the 25th Division participated in Operation Ripper , driving the enemy across the Han River . Although the 25th Division , for the most part , performed well under Kean ’ s leadership , Lt . Gen . Matthew Ridgway , who had recently assumed command of the Eighth Army , relieved him as part of an overall ‘ shakeup ’ of the Army ’ s frontline generals . In Korea , Kean assessed the all - black 24th Infantry Regiment , one of his subordinate commands , as being ineffective during its early combat operations , primarily due to the tendency of many soldiers to ‘ cut and run ’ during battle . Although he readily admitted that many individual soldiers had demonstrated competency and courage , he felt the regiment was so ineffective that it threatened the entire United Nations effort in Korea . Kean recommended that the 24th Regiment be disbanded and its soldiers assigned as ‘ fillers ’ in white units at a ratio of one to ten . Gen . Ridgway had embraced Kean ’ s assessment of the 24th Infantry Regiment . After relieving Kean , he asked him , before leaving Korea , to officially propose the elimination of the black units and propose the complete integration of white and black troops . Kean complied with his request and Ridgway used that proposal to help win Washington ’ s approval for the complete desegregation of the entire Far Eastern Command . Post - Korean War . In 1951 Kean was assigned to command the III Corps , first at Camp Roberts , California and later at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro . In October of that year he led a 5 , 000 man task force as it took part in an exercise at the Nevada Test Site . During this event , atomic weapons tests were conducted to measure the effects on military members in close proximity . In July 1952 Kean was named commander of Fifth United States Army in Chicago , Illinois and promoted to Lieutenant General . He remained in this assignment until retiring from the Army in 1954 . Kean ' s decorations included multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal , including two during World War II . He also received the Silver Star for heroism in the Korean War . In addition , Kean received multiple awards of the Legion of Merit , and was a recipient of the Bronze Star . Subsequent career . In October , 1954 Kean was appointed Executive Director of the Chicago Housing Authority . He remained in this position until 1957 . At the C . H . A . , Kean was the subject of controversy for his emphasis on reducing vacancy rates over racial integration of the authority ' s housing projects . After resigning from the housing authority , he moved to Florida , where he was employed as Public Relations Director for the Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater . Retirement and Death . After retiring Kean lived in Belleair and Winter Park , Florida . He died in Winter Park on March 10 , 1981 .