Andrew Jackson Goodpaster (February 12, 1915 – May 16, 2005) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. He served as

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Supreme Allied Commander, Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

(SACEUR), from July 1, 1969, and Commander in Chief of the

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...

(CINCEUR) from May 5, 1969, until his retirement December 17, 1974. As such, he was the commander of all NATO (SACEUR) and United States (CINCEUR) military forces stationed in Europe and the surrounding regions. Goodpaster returned to the military in June 1977 as the 51st

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, until he retired again in July 1981.

Career

Goodpaster entered the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1935, followed in 1939 by a commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Corps of Engineers after graduating second in his class of 456. After serving in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, he returned to the U.S. in mid-1942, and in 1943, he attended a wartime course at the Command and General Staff School,

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Goodpaster commanded the 48th Combat Engineer Battalion in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

, the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, and two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

s for his service in World War II. His combat experience was cut short in January 1944, when he was severely wounded and sent back to the United States to recover. After his wounds had healed, he was assigned to the War Planning Office under General Marshall, where he served the duration of the war. Goodpaster was seen by many as the quintessential "soldier-scholar." He received a Ph.D. in politics from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1950 after completing a doctoral dissertation titled "National technology and international politics." He later received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Princeton in 1979. Princeton says he earned degrees in civil engineering and politics.

Key assignments

Staff Secretary The Staff Secretary ("Staff Sec") is a position in the White House Office responsible for managing paper flow to the President and circulating documents among senior staff for comment. It has been referred to as "the nerve center of the White H ...

and Defense Liaison Officer to President Eisenhower (1954–1961) *Advisor to the Administrations of Presidents

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

(1963–1969),

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

(1969–1974), and

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

(1977–1981) *Commander of the San Francisco District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) *Commander of the 8th Infantry Division in Germany (1961–1962) *

Director of the Joint Staff The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on military ...

, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1966–1967) *Commandant of the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

(1967–1968) *Deputy Commander of the

U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...

(MACV) (1968–1969) *Commander-in-Chief of USEUCOM and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Forces (1969–1974) *Superintendent, USMA (1977–1981)

First retirement

After retiring in 1974, he served as senior

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

at the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...

in 1975–76, and taught at

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...

. His book, ''For the Common Defense'' was published in 1977. He was brought back to active duty as

of the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

(1977–1981) after 1976 West Point cheating scandal involving 151 cadets (see also, 1951 West Point cheating scandal). Although he had retired with the rank of

(four star), he voluntarily served as superintendent at the lower rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(three stars), since the

billet A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...

carries that rank.

Second retirement and later years

In 1981, when Goodpaster retired for the second time, being advanced back to four-star rank. He stayed active in retirement serving on various boards and working on his own memoirs. He died at age 90 at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

and is interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Advocacy for the elimination of nuclear weapons

In his later years, Goodpaster was vocal in advocating the reduction of nuclear weapons. Later his position evolved to advocating for elimination of all nuclear weapons. In September 1994, he commented, "Increasingly, nuclear weapons are seen to constitute a nuisance and a danger rather than a benefit or a source of strength." In 1996, along with General Lee Butler and Rear Admiral Eugene Carroll, Goodpaster co-authored a statement for the

Global Security Institute The Global Security Institute (GSI) is a largely private (though partly bipartisan), non-governmental international organization with a mission to Nuclear disarmament, eliminate nuclear weapons through international cooperation and security. It ai ...

advocating the complete elimination of nuclear weapons due to their danger and lack of military utility.

Civilian service

Goodpaster was a fellow at the

Eisenhower Institute Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

, and the

Institute for Defense Analyses The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is an American non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) – the Systems and Analyses Center (SAC), the Science and Technology Policy Institute ...

in Washington. He served on

American Security Council The American Security Council Foundation (ASCF) is a non-profit organization founded by John M. Fisher that seeks to influence United States foreign policy by "Promoting Peace Through Strength". ASCF's current president is Dr. Henry A. Fischer. ...

and founded the

Committee on the Present Danger The Committee on the Present Danger (CPD) is the name used by a succession of United States, American neoconservative and Anti-communism, anti-communist foreign policy interest groups. Throughout its four iterations—in the 1950s, the 1970s, the ...

, emphasizing the Soviet Union's military threat and a corresponding need for a strong defense for the United States. He served as a trustee and a chairman of the

George C. Marshall Foundation The George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia, was commissioned by President Harry S. Truman in order to preserve the papers of General George Marshall, George C. Marshall. Marshall served as Army chief of staff, secretary of state and d ...

, which established the Andrew J. Goodpaster Award to honor, "American business leaders, politicians, military leaders and others who have served our nation in exemplary ways, who, like General Goodpaster, have exhibited great courage, selfless service, patriotism and leadership in their lives and careers." Among the recipients have been

John P. Jumper John Phillip Jumper (born February 4, 1945) is a retired United States Air Force general, who served as 17th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from September 6, 2001 to September 2, 2005. He retired from the Air Force on November ...

Raymond T. Odierno Raymond Thomas Odierno (8 September 1954 – 8 October 2021) was an American military officer who served as a four-star general of the United States Army and as the 38th chief of staff of the Army. Prior to his service as chief of staff, Odiern ...

Gordon R. Sullivan Gordon Russell Sullivan (born September 25, 1937) is a retired United States Army general, who served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sullivan also served as acting Secretary of the Army. Aft ...

, and

Brent Scowcroft Brent Scowcroft (; March 19, 1925August 6, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer who was a two-time United States National Security Advisor, first under U.S. President Gerald Ford and then under George H. W. Bush. He served as Military Assi ...

. For many years in retirement, Goodpaster was a trustee of

St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a public liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Functions" http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/25univ/stmarys ...

, playing important roles in advancing the school to national prominence. A building on the school's campus, ''Goodpaster Hall'', is named in his honor.

Awards

*In January 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower awarded Goodpaster the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for his work in the position of Staff Secretary to the President of the United States, and as Liaison Officer of the Department of Defense to the White House, 1954–1961, “for distinguished service in a position of grave responsibility.” This award was mistakenly identified in the original press release as the Medal of Freedom. Goodpaster was actually awarded the Distinguished Service Medal at this ceremony—the press release is in error. Goodpaster's copy of the press release has the words "Medal of Freedom" lined out, and "Distinguished Service Medal" written over it. As a serving US Army officer at the time, Goodpaster could not have received the Medal of Freedom, a civilian award. Eisenhower mentioned that he was amazed that the award had been kept a surprise; Goodpaster later joked that if he had known about it, the paperwork would have been correct. *At General Goodpaster's first retirement in 1974,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

awarded him the

Defense Distinguished Service Medal The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...

. *In 1984, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

awarded Goodpaster the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

“for his contributions in the field of international affairs.” This was the first and only award of this medal to Goodpaster. *In 1985, he received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

presented by Awards Council member and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General

Bernard W. Rogers Bernard William Rogers (July 16, 1921 – October 27, 2008) was a United States Army general who served as the 28th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and later as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander in Chief, United Sta ...

, USA. *In 1992, he received the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates’ Distinguished Graduate Award.

Dates of rank

*Cadet, United States Military Academy - 1 July 1935 *2nd Lieutenant, Regular Army (RA) - 12 June 1939 *1st Lieutenant, Army of the United States (AUS) - 9 September 1940 *Captain, AUS - 1 February 1942 *1st Lieutenant, Regular Army - 12 June 1942 *Major, AUS - 29 October 1942 *Lieutenant Colonel, AUS - 23 June 1943 *Captain, RA - 1 July 1948 *Major, RA - 14 May 1951 *Colonel, AUS - 10 September 1952 *Brigadier General, AUS - 1 January 1957 *Lieutenant Colonel, RA - 22 March 1957 *Major General, AUS - 1 August 1956 *Lieutenant General, AUS - 27 January 1964 *Colonel, RA - 12 June 1964 *Brigadier General, RA - 30 January 1966 *General, AUS - c. June 1968 *General, Retired List - c. December 1974 Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. Various years from 1948-1975. Note - During and after World War II officers with temporary commissions were commissioned in the

Army of the United States The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army (the others being the Regular Army, the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard of the United States), but it has been inactive si ...

(AUS) whereas permanent commissions were in the United States Army (i.e. the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

Works

Listed in reverse chronological order of date published: *Goodpaster, Andrew J. and Rossides, Eugene. ''Greece's Pivotal Role in World War II and Its Importance to the U.S. Today''. Washington, D.C.: American Hellenic Institute Foundation, 2001. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. ''When Diplomacy Is Not Enough: Managing Multinational Military Interventions: A Report To The Carnegie Commission On Preventing Deadly Conflict''. New York: Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, 1996. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. ''Gorbachev and the Future of East-West Security: A Response for the Mid-Term. Atlantic Council of the United States Occasional paper'', April 1989. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. et al. ''U. S. Policy Toward the Soviet Union. A Long-Term Western Perspective'', 1987–2000. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1988. *''National Security and Détente''. Foreword by General Andrew J. Goodpaster with contributions by faculty members of the U.S. Army War College. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, Apollo Editions, 1987. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. ''Strengthening Conventional Deterrence in Europe: A Program for the 1980s''. Westview Special Studies in International Security (). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1985. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. and Elliot, Lloyd. ''Toward a Consensus on Military Service – Report of the Atlantic Council's Working Group on Military Service''. Tarrytown, New York: Pergamon Press, 1982. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. ''For the Common Defense''. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 1977. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. ''Civil-Military Relations: Studies in defense policy''. Washington, D.C.:

American Enterprise Institute The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, known simply as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is a center-right Washington, D.C.–based think tank that researches government, politics, economics, and social welfare. ...

for Public Policy Research, 1977. *Goodpaster, Andrew J. and Huntington, Samuel P. ''Civil-Military Relations''. University of Nebraska Press, Omaha:

for Public Policy Research, Washington D.C., 1977. *Goodpaster, General Andrew J. ''SHAPE and Allied Command Europe In the Service of Peace and Security''. 1973.

References

External links

for the WGBH series
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodpaster, Andrew J. 1915 births 2005 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Carter administration personnel Eisenhower administration personnel Lyndon B. Johnson administration personnel NATO Supreme Allied Commanders Nixon administration personnel People from Highlands, New York People from Granite City, Illinois Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star St. Mary's College of Maryland Superintendents of the United States Military Academy United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni White House Staff Secretaries Military personnel from Illinois