Williston Birkhimer Palmer - Arlington VA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 1, Site 339.

Description: From Find A Grave: US Army General. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he rose in rank to become the Vice Chief of Staff US Army, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief US European Command, and the Defense Department's first Director of Military Assistance. The oldest son of a career US Army officer, he entered the US Military Academy at West Point, New York June 1917 and graduated in June 1919 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant. The following month he was temporarily assigned to the Field Artillery in France and returned in September with an assignment as a student artillery officer at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. From 1920 until 1941 he continued to receive promotions and served at various locations, as well as attending command schools. In 1941 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and became commander of the US Army 7th Corps Artillery and saw combat action in the Normandy Invasion in France, as well as major battles across France and Germany. From 1946 he was promoted to the rank of major general and served as Director of Logistics US European Command and in 1948 he became commander of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division. In 1950 he returned to Europe to command the US Army's 2nd Armored Division and the following year he was assigned to Korea as commander of the 10th US Army Corps. In 1952 he returned to the US and became the Army's first Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics in Washington DC and in March 1955 he was promoted to the rank of general and became the Vice Chief of Staff US Army. In 1957 he returned to Europe and became the Deputy Commander-in-Chief US European Command located near Paris, France at that time. Then in 1959 he returned to the US and was appointed Director of Military Assistance in Washington DC and he retired in that position in 1962 with 43 years of continuous military service. Among his military and foreign decorations and awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with three oak leaf clusters), the Silver Star (with one oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the post-World War I Army of Occupation Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with two service stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the post-World War II Army of Occupation Medal (with Berlin Airlift device), the Medal for Humane Action, the National Defense Service Medal (with one service star), the Korea Service Medal (with two service stars), the French Croix de guerre, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross (with palm), the United Nations Service Medal (Korea), the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, and the Korean Unit Presidential Citation Medal. He died one day short of his 74th birthday. His brother, General Charles Day Palmer, Jr, was also a US Army four-star general and they were the first brothers in US Army history to achieve that rank and are interred next to each other in Arlington National Cemetery. Date of birth: 11/11/1899 Date of death: 10/11/1973 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   10/09/2021 Don.Morfe visited it