William P. Yarborough

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Lieutenant General Yarborough meeting with US President John F. Kennedy at Fort Bragg, October 12, 1961

William Pelham Yarborough (* 12. May 1912 in Seattle , Washington ; † 6. December 2005 in Southern Pines , North Carolina ) was an American Lieutenant-General ( Lieutenant General ) in the US Army and graduated from the United States Military Academy .

Life

Yarborough comes from the House of Yarborough, whose roots can be traced back to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the founder of the house, Eustacius de Yerburgh . William Yarborough is a distant relative of some of the British nobles, such as B. Baron Deramore or Baron Alvingham.

When the US Army began its first tests with airborne troops in 1941 , Yarborough had just held the rank of captain. At this time he also designed the emblem of the parachutist , which the airborne troops were allowed to wear from the fifth jump.

During World War II , Yarborough prepared and took part in the first skydiver combat mission, Operation Torch . He was later assigned to the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion for the Italian campaign.

In February 1962 a special unit led by General Yarborough was sent to Colombia . In a secret letter to the chiefs of staff, Yarborough underlined the need to deploy a unit to eliminate potentially dangerous communists:

“ A general effort should be made to prepare civilian and military forces now in secret for a possible future defense deployment. This should be done with a view to developing a usable civilian and military structure in case the Colombian security forces learn more about it. This structure should be used to press ahead with necessary reforms, to crack down on forces and propaganda and, if necessary, to carry out paramilitary, sabotage or terrorist actions against known communist opponents. (This structure) should be supported by the United States. "

- William P. Yarborough

Yarborough advocated an "intensive civilian registration program [...] so that (everyone) is eventually registered with fingerprints and photos in government files." He advised interviews and other measures, including a. to conduct regular surveys of the rural population “who might know about guerrilla activities”. “Intensive interrogations of the villains, also with sodium pentathol and lie detectors, should be carried out in order to obtain any information. The army and police need (for this) trained interrogators. "

Yarborough later became known as the "father of the Green Berets, " as the first commander of the Special Warfare Center, and for his pioneering work in developing tactics for special forces . From December 1, 1966 to July 15, 1968, Yarborough, now a major general , was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army in the areas of intelligence, headquarters and departments. He was later promoted to lieutenant general.

After 35 years in the United States, Yarborough retired in 1971 . He died on December 5, 2005 in a hospital in Southern Pines , North Carolina of complications from a broken hip .

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

literature

  • T. Michael Booth and Duncan Spencer: Paratrooper: The Life of Gen. James M. Gavin , Schuster & Simon, New York 1994, ISBN 0-671-73226-9

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Yarborough, William P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Yarborough, William Pelham (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lieutenant-general in the US Army and graduate of the United States Military Academy
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Seattle , Washington
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 2005
Place of death Southern Pines , North Carolina