Willard Pearson (July 4, 1915 – March 6, 1996) 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 the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne 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 ...

and later as commander 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 Ar ...

Early life and education

Pearson was born on July 4, 1915 and he was a native of

West Elizabeth West Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 403 at the 2020 census. Geography West Elizabeth is located at (40.272901, -79.894918). According to the United States Census Bureau, the boroug ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Pearson was a graduate of

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

Military service

Vietnam War

In January 1966 BG Pearson took command of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. During his time in command of the 1st Brigade he advocated the use of semi-guerilla tactics of night operations and long range reconnaissance patrols, which were adopted by his subordinate Maj.

David Hackworth David Haskell Hackworth (November 11, 1930 – May 4, 2005), also known as Hack, was a prominent journalist, military journalist and a famous former United States Army colonel who was decorated in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. Hackworth ...

who established

Tiger Force Tiger Force was the name of a long-range reconnaissance patrol unit of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War from November 1965 to November 1967. The unit ...

. These tactics involved "to probe as far into enemy territory as possible, make contact, then reinforce by helicopter." Pearson was described as being "regarded with a mixture of respect and astonishment."

Post Vietnam

He served as commander of

from 14 February 1971 to 31 May 1973 when he retired from the Army.

Later life

He served as superintendent of the

Valley Forge Military Academy and College Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school (grades 7–12) and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in tr ...

from 1973 to 1985.

Personal life

Pearson was married to Reba E Barton until his death. 1973 Pearson was bestowed with the Commander's cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Willard 1915 births 1996 deaths People from West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania United States Army generals Recipients of the Silver Star Military personnel from Pennsylvania