Major General William Maynadier "Bud" Miley (December 26, 1897 – September 24, 1997) was a senior United States Army officer and a professor of

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

who fought in both World War I and World War II. During the latter, he was one of the early pioneers of airborne warfare and served as Commanding General (CG) of the

17th Airborne Division The 17th Airborne Division, "The Golden Talons", was an airborne infantry division of the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. It was officially activated as an airborne division in April 1943 bu ...

, leading the division through the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity.

Early life and military career

William Maynadier Miley (1897–1997) at West Point in 1918

William M. Miley was born at Fort Mason in California, to Sara Miley and Lieutenant Colonel John D. Miley (for whom Fort Miley Military Reservation was named). His family had a long history of military service, with three generations before him serving in the United States Army. Two great-grandfathers, his grandfather, his father, his great-uncle, his uncle and his son all graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Miley himself attended the USMA, where he earned a national intercollegiate championship in gymnastics (in the tumbling, rings, and parallel bars events), and graduated in 1918, the year after the American entry into World War I, whereupon he was commissioned 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 ...

into the Infantry Branch of the United States Army. Immediately after graduation he was sent to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and served with the 1st Division, part of the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

(AEF) until the end of the war on November 11, 1918.

Between the wars

Following the war, Miley held a series of assignments, including as a professor of

at what was then

Mississippi State College Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

, in

Starkville, Mississippi Starkville is a city in, and the county seat of, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi State University is a land-grant institution and is located partially in Starkville but primarily in an adjacent unincorporated area desig ...

. It was during this time that he met and married his wife, Julia Sudduth. Other assignments included serving as athletic director at West Point, and infantry assignments in Panama, the Philippines, and at Fort Sam Houston. In 1940, Miley (then holding the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

) was ordered to organize and command the United States Army's first paratrooper unit, the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion.

World War II

After his promotion to

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 ...

, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Miley was ordered to organize and command the

503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

(PIR). Shortly afterwards he was appointed Assistant Division Commander (ADC) of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, serving under Major General Matthew Ridgway. In April 1943, Miley organized the activation of the

at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. He was the sole commander of the 17th Airborne Division during the war, leading the division through such actions on the

as the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity. The division was deactivated in late 1945, but reactivated briefly in 1948 as a training unit.

Postwar

After the war, Miley was appointed to command the

11th Airborne Division The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...

while it occupied

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and after its return to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He had several later assignments, including serving as Director of the

Joint Airborne Troop Board The Joint Airborne Troop Board was a multi-service US military board tasked with creating doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures for joint airborne operations and aerial logistical support operations. It was one of several boards that exi ...

, Commander of U.S. Army Alaska, under the Alaskan Command. He also served as Chief of Staff of the former Continental Army Command (which became the United States Army Forces Command in 1973). He retired from the military in 1955, with a rank of major general. Following his retirement from the army in 1955, Miley worked for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane, until his retirement in 1976, at which time he returned to

. Miley was the second to last living division commander of World War II. He died in Starkville in September 1997 at the age of 99, three months short of turning 100. Only Major General Ralph C. Smith, who commanded the 27th Infantry Division during World War II, would live longer, passing away in January 1998 at the age of 104.

Awards and decorations

A section of Mississippi Highway 389 (where it runs through Starkville) named the Major General William 'Bud' Miley Highway.SB2888 (As Sent to Governor) - 1998 Regular Session
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References

External links

* ttps://generals.dk/general/Miley/William_Maynadler/USA.html Generals of World War II* ttps://www.unithistories.com/officers/US_Army_officers_M01.html#Miley_WM United States Army Officers 1939–1945 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Miley, William M. 1897 births 1997 deaths Mississippi State University faculty Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from California People from Greater Los Angeles Air Corps Tactical School alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals