William B. Rosson

General, U.S. Army (Retired 1975)

1918 -

University of Oregon, Class of 1940
Oxford University, M.L. International Relations,

Commanding General,
I Field Force Vietnam
31 July 1967-1 March 1968









Military Service/Achievements:


General Rosson fought in ten campaigns with the 3rd Infantry Division in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Wounded in Sicily, he went on to win the nation's second highest decoration for valor, The Distinguished Service Cross, on the "Anzio Beachhead in Italy."

He later served on the Army General Staff in the Pentagon, in General Eisenhower's NATO headquarters in Paris, France, and on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, again in the Pentagon. Troop duty Included command of two Infantry regiments in Germany, and command of the European Airborne Brigade, also in Germany.

General Rosson served four tours in Vietnam covering six years. His assignments included:

  • Commissioned 1940 as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry
  • Battalion Commander with the 3rd Infantry Division, 10 campaigns in Europe
  • Commander, 30th Infantry Regiment, Army of Occupation, Germany, 1945-1946
  • Instructor, Command and General Staff College, 1946-1949
  • Joint War Plans Branch, Army General Staff, Washington, D.C., 1949-1951
  • Plans, Policy and Operations Division, Supreme Headquarters Allied
  • Powers Europe, Paris, 1951-1953
  • Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, 1953
  • U.S. Military Advisory Group Indo-China, 1954
  • Commander, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, Germany, June 1955-June 1956
  • Army Member, Chairman's Staff Group, Joint Chief of Staff, Washington, D.C., 1956-1959
  • National War College, 1960
  • Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, USAREUR, Germany, 1960-1961
  • Assistant Division Commander and Airborne Brigade Commander, 8th Infantry Division, Germany, 1961-1962
  • Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, for special warfare, 1962-1963
  • Director, U.S. Strike Command Joint Test and Evaluation Tak Force, 1963-1965
  • Chief of Staff, United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), 25 June 1965-April 1967
  • Commanding General, Task Force Oregon (later the 23d Infantry (Americal) Division), April 1967-June 1967
  • Commanding General, IFFV 31 July 1967-1 March 1968
  • Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Military Assistance Command Forward, Vietnam (MACV), 1 March 1968-10 March 1968
  • Commanding General, Provisional Corps (later XXIV Corps), Vietnam, 10 March 1968-31 July 1968.
  • Director, Policy and Plans Directorate, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C., August 1969-April 1969
  • Special Assistant to COMUSMACV, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, April 1969
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), 1 May 1969-15 October 1970
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), Hawaii, 16 October 1970-January 1973
  • Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command, Canal Zone, January 1973 to July 1975
After serving as Commander in Chief of United States Army Forces in the Pacific from 1970 to 1973, General Rosson completed his career in Latin America by serving as Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command from January 1973 to July 1975, with headquarters in the Canal Zone.

General Rosson is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, The Army War College, and the National War College.

LTG Rosson, CG, IFFV, in 192d AHC C&C
Chopper over Binh Thuan Province, 1968.
Photo by Jerry Berry, 3/506/101

Civilian Career/Achievements:

Following retirement in 1975, General Rosson obtained a Master of Letters degree in international relations from Oxford University in England. In 1984, the General moved from Florida to Roanoke, Virginia. Among his present pursuits are lecturing on national security and international relations, serving as a panelist, conducting professional research and writing for military agencies and journals.

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