William B. Rosson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nobunaga24 (talk | contribs) at 00:47, 12 June 2007 (article creation from public domain source). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
William B. Rosson
General William B. Rosson
Service/branchU.S. Army
Years of service1940-197?
RankGeneral
Commands heldU.S. Army, Pacific
I Field Force
Battles/warsWorld War II
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart

General William B. Rosson commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific from October 1970 to January 1973. He was commissioned in 1940 through ROTC and saw combat in World War II, earning the Distinguished Service Cross for his valor on the Anzio Beachhead in Italy. He also fought in North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany.

Rosson obtained his bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. After retirement from the military he earned a Master of Letters degree in International Relations from Oxford University in England. His military schooling includes the U.S. Army War College and the National War College.

Major command experience for Rosson includes Commanding General for Task Force Oregon (Provisional), Commanding General for I Field Force, and Commanding General, Provisional Corps, for the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. Later he was Deputy Commander for the same command. Rosson concluded his career as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Southern Command in Quarry Heights, Panama Canal Zone.

Additional assignments include serving in General Eisenhower's NATO headquarters in Paris, and duty with the French Forces in Vietnam in 1954. Because of this experience, he was valuable to General Westmoreland as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam. Rosson also served as Director of the Plans and Policy Directorate, J5, for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC.

In addition to the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest decoration for valor, General Rosson's awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. He died on August 12, 2004.