William C. Lee
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| William C. Lee | |
|---|---|
| 1895-1948 | |
 Major General William C. Lee |
|
| Nickname | Bill |
| Place of birth | Dunn, North Carolina |
| Place of death | Dunn, North Carolina |
| Allegiance | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1917-1944 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
General William "Bill" Carey Lee (March 12, 1895 – June 25, 1948) was an American U.S. Army soldier and general.
He was born in Dunn, North Carolina. Lee is often referred to as the "Father of the U.S. Airborne".
He graduated from North Carolina State College as a second lieutenant in the ROTC program in 1917.
William Lee served in World War I with the American Expeditionary Force in France, and by the time the United States entered World War II, He was promoted to general and was a proponent of paratrooper warfare. Although airborne units were not popular with the top U.S. Army commanders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sponsored the concept, and Lee organized the first paratroop platoon. This led to the Provisional Parachute Group, and then the United States Airborne Command. General Lee was the first commander at the new parachute school at Fort Benning, in west-central Georgia. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his early leadership in airborne forces.
By August of 1942 Lee was the first commander of the new 101st Airborne Division, based at Camp Claiborne, in central Louisiana. He promised his new recruits
- "The 101st has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny."
Bill Lee helped plan the D-Day drops into Normandy, and had trained to jump with his men, but was sent back to the states a few months before the battle due to either a heart attack or a stroke. He was replaced in command by General Maxwell D. Taylor. To honor their "father", the paratroopers yelled out "Bill Lee!" as they made their jump on D-Day.
Lee retired from the Army in late 1944 and died at Dunn, North Carolina in 1948.
The General William C. Lee Airborne Museum is located in Dunn.
On October 11, 2004 the U.S. Senate passed a bill to rename the Dunn Post Office, the "General William Carey Lee Post Office."
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a section of Interstate 77 has been renamed the "Bill Lee Freeway" in honor of the general.
[edit] References
- Autry, Jerry. Assisted by Kathryn Autry. General William C. Lee: Father of the Airborne : Just Plain Bill. San Francisco: Airborne Press, 1995. ISBN 0-934145-24-5
