William B . Steele William Berry Steele ( born August 17 , 1929 ) is a retired two - star general of the United States Army . He is a former commander of the 5th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) and Fort Polk , Louisiana . Steele graduated from the University of Georgia in 1950 with a BBA degree , cum laude , and was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps ( ROTC ) , as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U . S . Army . He later attended the Navy Command and Staff College in Newport , Rhode Island , and the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks , Pennsylvania . In addition , he earned a Master ’ s Degree in International Relations from George Washington University , in Washington , D . C . He spent 29 years in the Army , receiving numerous military decorations and awards , which include the Army Distinguished Service Medal , two Silver Star Medals , the Legion of Merit , the Distinguished Flying Cross , two Meritorious Service Medal s , seventeen Air Medals , the Bronze Star Medal with “ V ” for Valor , the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and three Army Commendation Medal s , as well as several foreign decorations . Early life and education . The only son of Wade Hampton Steele , Jr . and Frances Lucille Berry , William “ Bill ” Berry Steele was born in Atlanta , Georgia , on August 17 , 1929 . However , Bill grew up in rural middle Georgia near Lilly , Georgia , after his mother and father returned to Wade and Dora Steele ’ s farm , his paternal grandparents , in the early years of the Depression . In 1935 the family moved to Fort Valley , Georgia , where Bill ’ s father found a job with the Farm Security Administration ( FSA ) . During Bill ’ s childhood they lived in Tifton , Thomasville , and Athens , Georgia , then later Montgomery , Alabama ; Bill and his family returned to Athens in subsequent years . In 1942 , the family moved to Lyons , Georgia , but after the death of Bill ’ s paternal grandfather Wade , the family moved back to the Lilly farm . Bill first attended Vienna High School and for his senior year he studied at Gordon Military High School in Barnesville , Georgia . After Gordon Military High School , Bill attended Gordon Junior College for two years , and then continued his studies at the University of Georgia . He also became an Army ROTC cadet . During this time , Bill dated Virginia “ Ginny ” Nell Akin and they were married on August 7 , 1949 , when Bill had one more year to go at the University of Georgia . Upon graduation , Bill was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U . S . Army . Military career 1950 - 1979 . Steele first trained in Fort Benning , Georgia , with the 1st Battalion , 22nd Infantry Regiment where he was soon deployed to Schweinfurt , Germany . He commanded at every level of troop command from platoon to division level . He commanded rifle companies and held staff positions in the 3rd Infantry Division , the 4th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division . In August 1967 , Steele took command of the 5th Infantry Battalion ( Mechanized ) in Vietnam and later completed his Vietnam tour as Chief Of Staff of the 9th Infantry Division ( Forward ) . From 1972 - 1974 he commanded the 197th Independent Infantry Brigade ( Mechanized ) at Fort Benning , Georgia . Finally , he served as Commanding General of the 5th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) from 1976 - 1978 and took the division and supporting forces to Germany on a NATO maneuver in 1978 . Steele also handled officer assignments and school selections in the Infantry Officer Assignment Branch of the Department of Army ; he was military advisor to the King ’ s Royal Guard in Saudi Arabia ; he taught at the U . S . Army Infantry School and the Army War College ; he was Executive Officer and Senior Aide to the Army Chief of Staff , General William Westmoreland , and he was Deputy Commander of the U . S . Army Recruiting Command . Post - military career with Aflac . Following his retirement from the Army in 1979 , Steele joined Aflac , Inc . ( American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus ) in Columbus , Georgia . While there , he successfully served in both their marketing and administration capacities , with his last four years spent as Senior Vice President for International Operations . He retired from Aflac in 1994 , but has continued to be active in Army - related matters , having been elected President of the National Infantry Association in 2011 . Personal . Steele married Virginia “ Ginny ” Nell Akin ( 1928 - 2003 ) on August 7 , 1949 . They had two sons , Wade Shannon Steele ( 1951 - 2000 ) and William Berry Steele Jr . ( 1954 - ) . Steele has four grandchildren and two great - great grandchildren . On November 26 , 2005 , Steele married Sandra “ Sandy ” Ingram Cross and they currently make their home in Columbus , Georgia . " My Journey " . In 2012 Steele published " My Journey " , which retraces his life from rural Georgia during the Great Depression to his career in the military . The memoir features his personal sacrifices , triumphs , and tragedies , while ultimately it is about how proud he was to serve his country and to experience the joy and rewards of family life .