Keith L. Ware

Keith Lincoln Ware
Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware, U.S. Army
Born	(1915-11-23)November 23, 1915 Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Died	September 13, 1968(1968-09-13) (aged 52) Lộc Ninh, South Vietnam
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1941–1968
Rank	Major General
Commands held	1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division 1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II Vietnam War †
Awards	Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart (3)

Keith Lincoln Ware (November 23, 1915 – September 13, 1968) was a United States Army major general and a Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. General Ware was killed in action while commanding an infantry division in 1968 during the Vietnam War and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Early life and education

Ware was born in Denver, Colorado on November 23, 1915. He graduated from South High School and worked at a variety of jobs to help support his family.

Military career

Ware was drafted into the United States Army in July 1941.

World War II

Major General Ware

He was sent to Officer Candidate School in 1942, emerging a platoon leader stationed at Fort Ord, California. After extensive service in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel by December 1944, commanding 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

On December 26, 1944, Ware's battalion was attacking a heavily fortified German hilltop position. Finding one of his assault companies stalled and digging in under heavy fire, Ware went forward and made a close reconnaissance of the German positions, deliberately drawing their fire in order to determine their location. After two hours, he returned to the company and organized a small force of eleven men including two officers and a tank in order to renew the attack. Leading the advance, he personally assaulted four enemy machine guns, enabling the tank and the rest of his detachment to destroy the German position. Ware was wounded, and five soldiers of his group were killed before the hill was secured. In April 1945, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

Post-World War II

Unlike most draftees, General Ware remained in the U.S. Army after demobilization, becoming a career soldier, and one of the first former draftees to reach general officer rank.^[1]

Ware remained in Europe and took part in the post-war occupation of Germany. He then attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College, after which he was assigned to the Military District of Washington. During this assignment he met his future wife Joyce, and they were married in May, 1947.

Ware attended the European Staff Officers' Course at Columbia University, and then studied at George Washington University in preparation for a teaching assignment. Ware was then assigned to the United States Military Academy as an instructor in psychology and leadership, after which he attended the Armed Forces Staff College.

After a posting in South Korea from 1955 to 1957, Ware attended the National War College. He then served as an army congressional liaison and completed an assignment in Europe.

In 1963 Ware was assigned as assistant division commander of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas and promoted to brigadier general.

From 1964 to 1967 Ware was the Army's deputy chief of information and then chief of information. In 1966 he was promoted to major general.

Vietnam War

General Ware volunteered for Vietnam and arrived in South Vietnam shortly before the outbreak of the Tet Offensive in early 1968, serving as the deputy commander of II Field Force. Dispatched to Saigon immediately after the start of the Tet attacks, he assumed control of the American forces in the area, forming Task Force Ware; after several days of heavy fighting had stabilized the situation, the task force was dispersed. Following this, Ware was assigned to command the 1st Infantry Division in March 1968.

Death

On September 12 and 13, 1968, with elements of the division closely engaged near Lộc Ninh near the Cambodian border, he made several low passes over the fighting in a helicopter in order to better command his units. However, heavy anti-aircraft fire brought the helicopter down on September 13, along with Ware, his three command staff, and the four helicopter crew. There were no survivors; General Ware became the second US Army general officer to die in the Vietnam War, after Brigadier General Alfred Judson Force Moody died of a heart attack in South Vietnam on March 19, 1967.^[2] On October 25, 1968, General Ware was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

General Ware is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.^[3]

Legacy

• The U.S. Army's annual Awards for Journalism are named for him.^[4]
• Ware Elementary School in Fort Riley, Kansas^[5]
• Ware Hall, 1-15 IN battalion command post at Fort Benning, Georgia
• Ware Hall, the Kelley Hill Education Center (building 9004) at Fort Benning, Georgia.
• Ware Hall, a lodging facility at Fort Hood, Texas
• A parade field at Fort Riley, Kansas
• A shooting range at Fort Benning, Georgia

Major General Ware's name is inscribed on the Vietnam War Memorial ("The Wall") on panel 44W.^[6]

Military awards

Ware's military decorations and awards include:

Army Presidential Unit Citation	Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation w/ Palm

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

Commanding the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, attacking a strongly held enemy position on a hill near Sigolsheim, France, on 26 December 1944, found that 1 of his assault companies had been stopped and forced to dig in by a concentration of enemy artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire. The company had suffered casualties in attempting to take the hill. Realizing that his men must be inspired to new courage, Lt. Col. Ware went forward 150 yards beyond the most forward elements of his command, and for 2 hours reconnoitered the enemy positions, deliberately drawing fire upon himself which caused the enemy to disclose his dispositions. Returning to his company, he armed himself with an automatic rifle and boldly advanced upon the enemy, followed by 2 officers, 9 enlisted men, and a tank. Approaching an enemy machinegun, Lt. Col. Ware shot 2 German riflemen and fired tracers into the emplacement, indicating its position to his tank, which promptly knocked the gun out of action. Lt. Col. Ware turned his attention to a second machinegun, killing 2 of its supporting riflemen and forcing the others to surrender. The tank destroyed the gun. Having expended the ammunition for the automatic rifle, Lt. Col. Ware took up an M-1 rifle, killed a German rifleman, and fired upon a third machinegun 50 yards away. His tank silenced the gun. Upon his approach to a fourth machinegun, its supporting riflemen surrendered and his tank disposed of the gun. During this action Lt. Col. Ware's small assault group was fully engaged in attacking enemy positions that were not receiving his direct and personal attention. Five of his party of 11 were casualties and Lt. Col. Ware was wounded but refused medical attention until this important hill position was cleared of the enemy and securely occupied by his command.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II

U.S. Army general officers who died in the Vietnam War:

• Carroll Edward Adams, Jr {Posthumous promotion}
• William R. Bond
• George W. Casey, Sr.
• John A. B. Dillard
• Charles J. Girard
• Alfred Judson Force Moody
• Richard J. Tallman

References

External links

• "Major General Keith L. Ware, 1915 - 1968". Ware Elementary School website. Archived from the original on 2005-01-23.  External link in |publisher= (help)

• "Keith Lincoln Ware, Major General, Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division". The Virtual Wall.  (Includes DSC and MoH citations.)

• "An Unusual General (Obituary)". TIME Magazine. September 20, 1968. 

• "Keith Lincoln Ware, Major General, United States Army". Arlington National Cemetery. 

• "Major General Keith L. Ware (Biography)". The MG Keith L. Ware Journalism Awards Competition. United States Army. Retrieved 2007-01-21.