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Walter Leo Weible

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Walter Leo Weible
Weible as commander of the Japan Logistical Command, 1951.
BornJune 2, 1896 (1896-06-02)
Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
DiedFebruary 19, 1980 (1980-02-20) (aged 83)
Rockville, Maryland, United States
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1917–1957
Rank Lieutenant General
Service number0-11308
Unit Coast Artillery Corps
CommandsHeadquarters and Service Group, Far East Command
Japan Logistical Command
Battles / warsWorld War I
World War II
Korean War
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Other workPresident and Executive Vice President, Association of the United States Army

Lieutenant General Walter Leo Weible (June 2, 1896 − February 19, 1980) was a United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II

Early life

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Weible was born on June 2, 1896, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1917 with a degree in engineering.[1]

World War I

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Weible enlisted for World War I as a private in the Army Coast Artillery on December 17, 1917. He served on Long Island until June 25, 1918, when he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery.[2][3]

Post-World War I

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Weible served throughout the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1927, he graduated from the Coast Artillery School.[4] In 1928, Weible graduated from the Engineer Officer Advanced Course.[5] Weible graduated from the Chemical Warfare Officer Course in 1928,[6] afterwards carrying out an assignment at Fort Winfield Scott, where he remained until 1930.[7] In 1930, Weible was transferred to Hawaii,[8] and in 1931 he was assigned to Fort MacArthur, where he stayed until 1933.[9] Weible then attended the Command & General Staff College, graduating in 1935.[10] In 1938, Weible graduated from the Army War College,[11] and in 1939 he graduated from the Army Industrial College.[12]

World War II

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From 1942 to 1943, Weible was Deputy Director of Military Training for the Army Service Forces.[13] In 1943, he was appointed as Director, receiving promotion to major general, and serving until 1945.[14]

Post-World War II

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General Weible served during the occupation of Japan as commander of Headquarters and Service Group, the logistical and administrative unit of the Far East Command.[15][16]

Korean War

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In 1950, Weible was appointed commander of the Japan Logistical Command (JLC), based in Yokohama. The JLC was responsible for supporting fighting units in Korea by pre-ordering supplies and equipment from the United States, and then maintaining stockpiles in Japan for rapid transport into the combat theater.[17]

Post-Korean War

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Weible was named Deputy Commander of the 5th United States Army in 1953 and was promoted to lieutenant general.[18]

Later in 1953, Weible was named the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations & Administration.[19]

In 1956, a reorganization of the roles and responsibilities of the Army staff resulted in Weible's appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, where he remained until his 1957 retirement.[20][21]

McCarthy hearings controversy

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During the McCarthy hearings of 1954 and 1955, Senator McCarthy objected to the Army's decision to promote dentist Irving Peress to major on the grounds that he was a security risk. Peress subsequently received an honorable discharge, despite McCarthy's call for a court-martial. General Weible later testified that he was responsible for approving the honorable discharge for Peress, determining that McCarthy's request was not sufficient reason to deny it. Weible also testified that he might have made a different determination if information about Peress later revealed by McCarthy had been known to him at the time.[22][23]

Awards and decorations

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General Weible's decorations included multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, including two for World War II, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.[24][25]

Civilian career

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Weible had served as president of the Association of the United States Army in the mid 1950s, while it was still an unofficial organization.[26] After retiring from the Army Weible was employed as AUSA's Executive Vice President.[27][28]

Retirement and death

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In retirement General Weible lived in Montgomery County, Maryland. He died in Rockville, Maryland on February 19, 1980.[29] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 11 Lot 233-1.[30]

Other

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In 1955 Weible received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Pratt Institute.[31][32]

The Walter L. Weible Papers are stored at the U.S. Army's Military History Institute.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Pratt University List of Honorary Degree Recipients
  2. ^ Official U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1954, p. 790
  3. ^ U. S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant-General's Office, 1922, p. 694
  4. ^ U. S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957
  5. ^ Official U.S. Army Register, 1954
  6. ^ U. S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957
  7. ^ The Coast Artillery Journal, 1920, Volume 72, p. 273
  8. ^ Annual Report, Governor of Hawaii Territory, 1931, p. 127
  9. ^ Coast Artillery Journal, 1933, Volume 76, p. 237
  10. ^ Annual Report Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Command and General Staff College, 1935, p. 8
  11. ^ American Men in Government, by Jerome Rosow, 1949, Page 408
  12. ^ U. S. Army Register, 1957
  13. ^ Organic Aviation in the Ground Arms, 1941-1947, 1992, p. 314
  14. ^ U.S. Government Manual, The War Department, 1945, published by the Office of War Information
  15. ^ Newspaper article, WAC’s 7th Birthday, Pacific Stars and Stripes, May 14, 1949
  16. ^ Newspaper photo caption, Bon Voyage: Gen. Weible bids farewell to Head Librarian, Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 5, 1949
  17. ^ Korea, the Untold Story of the War, by Joseph C. Goulden, 1982, p. 259
  18. ^ The National Guardsman, 1953, Volume 7, p. 25
  19. ^ Special Studies From Root to McNamara: Army organization and Administration Archived 2017-01-23 at the Wayback Machine, by James E. Hewes, Jr., United States Army Center of Military History, 1975, Appendix B Principal Officials of the War Department and Department of the Army, 1900-1963, p. 379
  20. ^ U.S. Army Special Studies From Root to McNamara: Army organization and Administration, Appendix B
  21. ^ Army Information Digest, published by the Armed Forces Information School, 1957, p. 46
  22. ^ Newspaper article, Army Names Officials in Peress Case Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1955
  23. ^ Newspaper article, Weible Admits Peress Error, Associated Press, published in the Prescott (Arizona) Evening Courier, March 23, 1955
  24. ^ Military Times, Hall of Heroes, List of Recipients of Major Military Awards
  25. ^ Official U.S. Army Register, 1954
  26. ^ Newspaper article, Russ Missile Danger Cited, Deseret News, Salt Lake City, February 13, 1956
  27. ^ "Web site, George Washington Chapter, Association of the United States Army, history page". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  28. ^ Newspaper article, Army Assn. To Meet, Norwalk (Connecticut) Sunday Herald, May 17, 1959
  29. ^ Social Security Death Index, Accessed on WorldVitalRecords.com web site
  30. ^ "Weible, Walter L". ANC Explorer. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  31. ^ Pratt University List of Honorary Degree Recipients
  32. ^ Newspaper article, Moses Deplores Loss of the Eagle, New York Times, June 4, 1955
  33. ^ World Catalogue web page, Walter L. Weible Papers
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