James William Sutherland (1918–1987) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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 ...

, who served as commander of XXIV Corps during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life and education

Sutherland was born on 8 February 1918 in

Benton County, Arkansas Benton County is a county within the Northwest Arkansas region with a culture, economy, and history that have transitioned from rural and agricultural to suburban and white collar since the growth of Walmart, which is headquartered in Benton C ...

Military service

Post WWII

MG Sutherland served as commander of the US Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground from August 1963 to December 1965.

Vietnam War

Sutherland served as commander of XXIV Corps from 18 June 1970 until 9 June 1971. During this time he was involved in the planning and support of Operation Lam Son 719. On 25 March 1971 Sutherland advised

COMUSMACV 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 ...

General Creighton Abrams ". .. As you have stated before we can take he South Vietnamese. . . only so far; beyond that point they must go on their own. We have reached that point in Lam Son 719. Today I am not sure of how much further we can take them."

Post Vietnam

Sutherland served as Chief of Staff

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 ...

from 1971. He died on 1 May 1987 in

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , a different pronunciation from that used by the city with the same name in North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South ...

and was buried 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 ...

References

1918 births 1987 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army generals {{US-mil-hist-stub