William Edward Vandenberg

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jose Andres "Andy" Chacon on November 14, 2004:

William Edward Vandenberg Born May 1, 1927 - Died November 5, 1998 William Edward "Bill" Vandenberg was born in South Holland, Illinois on 1 May 1927 and was appointed to West Point from the Army of the United States. He, of course, is a product of USMAPS, as a matter of fact, his classmates recall; "Bill prepared for West Point with a tour of duty in the Medics and the USMAPS. Never one to knock himself out for a tenth; his ability to wear stars, abstain from studying, and hit the sack by 8:30 never failed to amaze his many friends. With his outstanding qualities of genuine friendliness and natural leadership, Bill will surely attain success in whatever he may attempt." Bill went out for Track for four years and Cross Country for two. He earned a Major "A" in Track, was on the Hop Committee for four, and earned stars all four years. Bill was a Cadet Lieutenant his first class year and graduated number five in order of general merit. On graduation Bill went in the Corps of Engineers but first he represented the US Military Academy on the Pentathlon in 1951. Then he reported to the 54th Engineer Battalion in Germany were he served as Company Commander and S3 from 1953 to 1956. On return to stateside Bill obtained a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1958, and on completion was assigned to the Engineering Reactors Group. Next Bill went to the 8th Army in Korea in 1960 until 1961 when he returned to West Point assigned to the Military Art and Engineering Department until 1964. Bill then attended the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1965, and then was appointed Commanding Officer of the 78th Engineer Battalion in Germany where he served until 1967. During this tour he was awarded the Commendation Medal for distinguished service. Bill's next assignment was as Executive Officer of the 555th Engineer Group in Germany where he served from 1967 to 1968. Next Bill went to Civil Operations and Rural Development Support, Republic of Vietnam and served until 1969 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. From 1969 to 1970 Bill was Director of the Nuclear Cratering Group and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for conspicuously meritorious performance of duty in a non-combat situation. Next Bill was appointed Engineer, South Pacific Division and served as such until 1973 when he was appointed District Engineer, Mediterranean Division in Italy where he served until 1976 and was awarded a second Meritorious Service Medal for conspicuously meritorious performance of duty in a non-combat situation. In 1977 Bill accepted his last military assignment and returned to the South Pacific as Deputy Division Engineer where he served until 1978 when he retired from the United States Army as a Colonel. On his retirement Bill was appointed Vice President of Construction Management with Brown & Caldwell and served as such until 1986 when he became a Consultant for four years. He next was named Construction Manager with Severdrup in 1990 and continued in that position until his death on November 5, 1998. Bill and his wife Betty made their home in Palo Alto, California. To learn about District Engineers click on District Engineers ufa

admin