| Walter Leo Weible | |
|---|---|
Weible as commander of the Japan Logistical Command, 1951 |
|
| Born | June 2, 1896 Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Died | February 1, 1980 (aged 83) Rockville, Maryland |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1957 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | Headquarters and Service Group, Far East Command Japan Logistical Command |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
| Other work | President and Executive Vice President, Association of the United States Army |
Walter Leo Weible was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army.
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Weible was born on June 2, 1896 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1917 with a degree in engineering.[1]
Weible enlisted for World War I as a Private in the Army Coast Artillery on December 17, 1917. He served on Long Island until June 25, 1918, when he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery.[2][3]
Weible served throughout the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1927 he graduated from the Coast Artillery School.[4]
In 1928 Weible graduated from the Engineer Officer Advanced Course.[5]
Weible graduated from the Chemical Warfare Officer Course in 1928,[6] afterwards carrying out an assignment at Fort Winfield Scott, where he remained until 1930.[7]
In 1930 Weible was transferred to Hawaii.,[8] and in 1931 he was assigned to Fort MacArthur, where he stayed until 1933.[9]
Weible then attended the Command & General Staff College, from which he graduated in 1935.[10]
In 1938 Weible graduated from the Army War College,[11] and in 1939 he graduated from the Army Industrial College.[12]
From 1942 to 1943 Weible was Deputy Director of Military Training for the Army Service Forces.[13] In 1943 he was appointed as Director, receiving promotion to Major General, and serving until 1945.[14]
General Weible served during the occupation of Japan as commander of Headquarters and Service Group, the logistical and administrative unit of the Far East Command.[15][16]
In 1950 Weible was appointed commander of the Japan Logistical Command, based in Yokohama. The JLC was responsible for supporting fighting units in Korea by pre-ordering supplies and equipment from the United States, and then maintaining stockpiles in Japan for rapid transport into the combat theater.[17]
Weible was named Deputy Commander of the 5th United States Army in 1953 and was promoted to Lieutenant General.[18]
Later in 1953 Weible was named the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations & Administration.[19]
In 1956 a reorganization of the roles and responsibilities of the Army staff resulted in Weible’s appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, where he remained until his 1957 retirement.[20][21]
During the McCarthy hearings of 1954 and 1955, Senator McCarthy objected to the Army’s decision to promote dentist Irving Peress to Major on the grounds that he was a security risk. Peress subsequently received an honorable discharge despite McCarthy’s call for a court-martial. General Weible later testified that he was responsible for approving the honorable discharge for Peress, determining that McCarthy’s request wasn’t a sufficient reason to deny it. Weible also testified that he might have made a different determination if information about Peress later revealed by McCarthy had been known to him at the time.[22][23]
General Weible’s decorations included multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, including two for World War II, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.[24][25]
Weible had served as President of the Association of the United States Army in the mid 1950s, while it was still an unofficial organization.[26] After retiring from the Army Weible was employed as AUSA’s Executive Vice President.[27][28]
In retirement General Weible lived in Montgomery County, Maryland. He died in Rockville, Maryland, in February, 1980.[29]
In 1955 Weible received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Pratt Institute.[30][31]
The Walter L. Weible Papers are stored at the U.S. Army's Military History Institute.[32]