Paul Scott "Bo" Williams Jr. (October 17, 1929 – July 8, 1995) 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 ...

officer. He retired from active duty in 1986 having achieved the 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 ...

. After retiring from the Army, Bo was active in the family investment organization, Brown and Hoff Partnership. In addition he served on the board of the Goodwin House, a nonprofit senior living community, and the Grafton School, a 24-hour support service provider.

Early life

Bo was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1929 to Paul Scott Williams Sr. and Daisy Brown. At a young age his mother and father separated, and Daisy returned with Bo to her hometown of

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

Military career

Bo graduated from the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

(VMI) in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. At VMI he was a member of the Officer of the Guard Association, president of the International Relations Club, and president of the Virginia Intercollegiate International Relations Club. He graduated as a Distinguished Military Student. In 1951, Bo attended the Armor Officer Basic Course at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

, Kentucky. From there he was assigned to the 759th Tank Battalion, 5th Infantry Division in Germany, where he served as a platoon leader in both a tank and reconnaissance platoon, eventually becoming a company commander. From 1955 to 1957 he was the A Company commander of the 894th Tank Battalion at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After attending the Career Course he was assigned to the Eighth U.S. Army in Korea Headquarters, where he was operations officer, Combined Operations for Military Intelligence, G-2 Section. In 1958, Bo was assigned to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

as an assistant professor of military science. In 1961 he was selected by the military as the American student representative to the Indian

Defense Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , pres ...

in Wellington, India. After a year in India, he became the personnel management officer in Armor Branch at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

in Arlington, Virginia (1962–1965). In 1966, he received orders to go to the Republic of Vietnam. Initially, he served as the chief of the Officer Personnel Management Branch, G-1, Headquarters, USARV. In March 1967, he was given command of the 1st Battalion, 69th Armor, 4th Infantry Division. He returned home to Arlington, Virginia from Vietnam in September 1967. After Vietnam, Bo was selected to attend the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he earned a master's degree in strategic studies. From 1969 to 1970, he was commanding officer of the 2nd (St. Lo) Brigade, 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. In 1970, he became assistant chief of staff, G-3, III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. In 1972, Bo was assigned to the United States Army Military Personnel Center as the Chief of the Armor Branch, Officer Personnel Directorate. Bo was promoted to brigadier general in 1973 and given command of the 2nd Reserve Officers Training Corps Region in Fort Knox, Kentucky. During his tenure at the Officers Training Corps, he was the commissioning officer for VMI's Class of 1974 Army ROTC Cadets. From 1974 to 1977 he was the director of military personnel management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel at the Pentagon. After serving as deputy commander of

III Corps (United States) III Corps or III Armored Corps is a corps of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas. It is a major formation (military), formation of the United States Army Forces Command. Activated in World War I in France, III Corps overs ...

, he was promoted to major general, and given command of the

1st Cavalry Division (United States) The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is a Armored brigade combat team, combined arms division (military), division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. It was formed ...

at Fort Hood, Texas. In 1981, he was promoted to lieutenant general after receiving command of

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

, U.S. Army Europe. At that time, V Corps Headquarters was in Frankfurt, Germany. There he participated in the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction talks in Vienna, and was the co-chairman for the Senior NATO Logistics Conference. His last assignment was as the deputy chairman of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization 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 ...

in Brussels, Belgium.

Awards and decorations

During his career, Bo received the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with one

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

(four awards) and the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with three Oak Leaf Clusters.

Personal

After his death from heart failure at the

Beebe Medical Center Beebe Healthcare is a healthcare system serving Sussex County in southern Delaware in the United States. Its primary facility is Beebe Medical Center, a hospital in Lewes. Services Beebe Medical Center has 210 beds, offering inpatient services su ...

, Bo Williams was interred with full military honors 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 ...

on July 18, 1995. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Ann "Betty" (Calder) Williams of Manassas, Virginia and

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Rehoboth Beach ( ) is a city on the Atlantic Ocean along the Delaware Beaches in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 1,327, reflecting a decline of 161 (11.2%) from the 1,488 counted in the 2000 ce ...

; two daughters; a son; and two grandchildren. His wife was interred with him on April 26, 2002. An additional four grandchildren born during the time between their deaths. First Hand Account from a Surviving Family Member.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Paul S. Jr. 1929 births 1995 deaths Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia People from Manassas, Virginia Virginia Military Institute alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Burials at Arlington National Cemetery