"W" is for Westmoreland, William Childs [1914-2005]. Soldier. Westmoreland graduated from West Point as first captain of the cadet corps. During World War II he saw action in North Africa, Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and the Remagen Bridge. At the end of the war he was a colonel and commanded a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. He saw action as a commander during the Korean Conflict and, at the age of 38, was promoted to brigadier general. In 1960 he was named superintendent of West Point. From 1964 to 1968 he was commander of US Forces in Vietnam and oversaw the US military commitment rise from 50,000 troops to more than 250,000. In 1968 William Childs Westmoreland was came home with a promotion as the army chief of staff.