Keith Lincoln Ware (23 November 1915 – 13 September 1968) 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 ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, and a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient of

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 ...

. Ware was killed in action in 1968 while commanding the 1st Infantry Division 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

Ware was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

on 23 November 1915. He graduated from South High School and worked at a variety of jobs to help support his family.

Military career

World War II

Ware was drafted into the

in July 1941. He was sent to

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

in 1942, emerging a platoon leader stationed at

Fort Ord, California Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, m ...

. He saw extensive service in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

during World War II, rose to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

by December 1944, and was appointed to command the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On 26 December 1944, Ware's battalion was attacking a heavily fortified German hilltop position. Finding one of his assault companies stalled and digging in under heavy fire, Ware went forward and made a close reconnaissance of the German positions, deliberately drawing their fire in order to determine their location. After two hours, he returned to the company and organized a small force of eleven men including two officers and a tank in order to renew the attack. Leading the advance, he personally assaulted four enemy

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

s, enabling the tank and the rest of his detachment to destroy the German position. Ware was wounded, and five soldiers of his group were killed before the hill was secured. In April 1945, he was awarded the

for his heroism.

Interbellum

Unlike most draftees, Ware remained in the army after demobilization, becoming a career soldier and one of the first former draftees to reach

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

rank. Ware remained in Europe and took part in the post-war occupation of Germany. He then attended the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

, after which he was assigned to the

Military District of Washington The United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) is one of nineteen major commands of the United States Army. Its headquarters are located at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. The missions of the units in the Military Distri ...

. During this assignment he met his future wife, Joyce; they were married in May 1947. Ware attended the European Staff Officers' Course at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and then studied at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in preparation for a teaching assignment. Ware was then assigned to 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 ...

as an instructor in psychology and leadership, after which he attended the

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

. After a posting in South Korea from 1955 to 1957, Ware attended 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 ...

. He then served as an army congressional liaison and completed an assignment in Europe. In 1963 Ware was assigned as assistant division commander of the 2nd Armored Division at

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and was promoted to brigadier general. From 1964 to 1967 Ware was the army's deputy chief of information and then chief of information. In 1966 he was promoted to major general.

Vietnam War

Ware volunteered for service in Vietnam and arrived in South Vietnam in early 1968, serving as the deputy commander of

II Field Force II Field Force, Vietnam was a United States Army Corps-level command during the Vietnam War. Activated on 15 March 1966, it became the largest corps command in Vietnam and one of the largest in Army history. II Field Force was assigned the lineag ...

. On the morning of 31 January 1968, at the start of the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...

, II Field Force commander Lieutenant General Frederick C. Weyand directed Ware to establish a tactical command post at

Camp Lê Văn Duyệt Camp Lê Văn Duyệt (also known as Capital Military District Headquarters, Capital Military Assistance Command or CMAC and Camp Goodman ) was a French Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam and United States Army base located in District 10, Saig ...

, next to the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...

's Capital Military District headquarters. Once operational this headquarters, known as Hurricane Forward, would assume tactical control over all United States units entering the

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

–

Gia Định Province ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizabeth M ...

zone. Following this, Ware was assigned to command the 1st Infantry Division in March 1968.

Death

On 13 September 1968, during the Battle of Lộc Ninh, elements of the 1st Infantry Division were preparing to attack Hill 222 (), 6 km north of the town. Ware's command group were flying in his command and control helicopter to view the battle when heavy

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

fire brought the helicopter down 5 km south of Lộc Ninh. Ware, his three command staff, and the four helicopter crew were all killed in the crash. Ware became the second United States Army general officer to die in the

, after Brigadier General Alfred Judson Force Moody died of a heart attack in South Vietnam on 19 March 1967. On 25 October 1968, Ware was posthumously 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 ...

. Ware is buried in

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 ...

Legacy

*The U.S. Army's annual Awards for Journalism are named for him. *Ware Elementary School in

Fort Riley, Kansas Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...

*Ware Hall, 1-15 IN battalion command post at

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...

*Ware Hall, the Kelley Hill Education Center (building 9004) at Fort Benning, Georgia. *Ware Hall, a lodging facility at Fort Hood, Texas *A parade field at Fort Riley, Kansas *A shooting range at Fort Benning, Georgia *Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Post 100, Colorado, Scottish-American Military Society
SAMS
Ware's name is inscribed on the

Vietnam War Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...

("The Wall") on panel 44W.''The Virtual Wall''

Military awards

Ware's military decorations and awards include:

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

References

External links

* * (Includes DSC and MoH citations.) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Keith L. 1915 births 1968 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Joint Forces Staff College alumni National War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War