Burwell B . Bell III Burwell Baxter ( B . B . ) Bell III ( born April 9 , 1947 ) is a retired U . S . Army four - star general . Early life and education . Bell was born and raised in Oak Ridge , Tennessee , the son of Burwell B . Bell , Jr . and Mary R . Bell . His father was a West Point graduate who worked in government nuclear facilities at Oak Ridge . He graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1965 and played high school football for the " Wildcats " . In 1969 he graduated from the University of Chattanooga ( now the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ) , where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity , with a degree in Business Administration . As a Distinguished Military Graduate of the university ' s ROTC Program , Bell was commissioned in the U . S . Army in June 1969 as an Armor / Tank 2nd Lieutenant . Later , he received a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California . Over the years , Bell also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Maryland , University College ; Keimyung University , South Korea ; and the University of Tennessee . U . S . Army service . During his military service , Bell completed the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses , United States Army Command and General Staff College , and the National War College . He is also completed the Army ' s Ranger School where he was awarded the Ranger Tab . From 1969 to 1972 Bell spent his initial assignment in the Army with the 3d Squadron , 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Bad Hersfeld , Germany . During this initial three - year period of service during the Cold War , he led units patrolling the Iron Curtain between East and West Germany . During his 39 year active duty career , Bell ' s command positions included L Troop , 3d Squadron , 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment ; D troop , 5th Reconnaissance Squadron ; the 2nd Squadron , 9th Cavalry , 24th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) ; and the 24th Infantry Division ' s 2nd Brigade Combat Team . From June 1995 through August 1996 and as a Brigadier General , he served as an Assistant Division Commander in both the 3d and 1st Infantry Divisions located at Warner Barracks in Bamberg , Germany . As a Major General he commanded the U . S . Army Armor Center and Fort Knox from July 1999 through August 2001 at Fort Knox , Kentucky . As a Lieutenant General , Bell commanded the Army ' s III Corps from August 2001 to November 2002 , headquartered at Fort Hood , Texas . Following Corps Command , Bell was promoted to four - star general and commanded the United States Army , Europe and 7th Army , as well as NATO ' s Land Component Command , Heidelberg , Germany . On completion of his command assignments in Europe , in 2006 Bell was reassigned to South Korea where he commanded U . S . Forces , Korea , the Korea — U . S . Combined Forces Command , and the United Nations Command . Following his Command of forces in Korea , Bell retired from the Army in August 2008 . Bell ' s staff positions include service as an ROTC instructor at Texas Tech University ; Force Plans Analyst for the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans in the Pentagon ; and Joint Staff Officer responsible for the Unified Command Plan in the J5 , Joint Chiefs of Staff , also in the Pentagon . Additionally , he was a tank battalion Operations Officer in Korea and the Chief of Staff of 3rd Infantry Division in Würzburg , Germany . From August 1996 to July 1999 he served as Chief of Staff of V Corps , and as DCSOPS and subsequently Chief of Staff , United States Army , Europe and 7th Army . In 1994 Bell served as a Senior Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City , and has since been selected as a serving member on the Council . Bell deployed as General Schwarzkopf ' s Executive Officer in Desert Shield and Desert Storm ; and later served as Chief of Staff , USAREUR Forward Headquarters , Taszar , Hungary during Operation Joint Endeavor in the Balkans . Bell is married to the former Kathleen Fields of Chattanooga , Tennessee . In retirement , they currently reside near Chattanooga , Tennessee . Bell continues to work part - time for the Department of Defense in a high level command Senior Mentor role , while also writing media columns and speaking on national security matters . The Bells have one son , Buck , who lives in Florida with his wife , Jennifer , and their daughter , Jinny . Awards and decorations . Bell ' s awards include :