William B. Steele
William Berry Steele is a retired two-star general of the United States Army. He is a former commander of the 5th Infantry Division and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Steele graduated from the University of Georgia in 1950 with a BBA degree, cum laude, and was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps, as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army.
He later attended the Navy Command and Staff College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. In addition, he earned a master's degree in International Relations from George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He spent 29 years in the Army, receiving numerous military decorations and awards, which include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Star Medals, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Meritorious Service Medals, seventeen Air Medals, the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor, the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and three Army Commendation Medals, as well as several foreign decorations.
Early life and education
The only son of Wade Hampton Steele, Jr. and Frances Lucille Berry, William "Bill" Berry Steele was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 17, 1929. However, Bill grew up in rural middle Georgia near Lilly, Georgia, after his mother and father returned to Wade and Dora Steele's farm, his paternal grandparents, in the early years of the Depression. In 1935 the family moved to Fort Valley, Georgia, where Bill's father found a job with the Farm Security Administration. During Bill's childhood they lived in Tifton, Thomasville, and Athens, Georgia, then later Montgomery, Alabama; Bill and his family returned to Athens in subsequent years. In 1942, the family moved to Lyons, Georgia, but after the death of Bill's paternal grandfather Wade, the family moved back to the Lilly farm. Bill first attended Vienna High School and for his senior year he studied at Gordon Military High School in Barnesville, Georgia. After Gordon Military High School, Bill attended Gordon Junior College for two years, and then continued his studies at the University of Georgia. He also became an Army ROTC cadet.During this time, Bill dated Virginia "Ginny" Nell Akin and they were married on August 7, 1949, when Bill had one more year to go at the University of Georgia. Upon graduation, Bill was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army.
Military career 1950-1979
Steele first trained in Fort Benning, Georgia, with the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment where he was soon deployed to Schweinfurt, Germany. He commanded at every level of troop command from platoon to division level. He commanded rifle companies and held staff positions in the 3rd Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. In August 1967, Steele took command of the 5th Infantry Battalion in Vietnam and later completed his Vietnam tour as Chief Of Staff of the 9th Infantry Division. From 1972 to 1974 he commanded the 197th Independent Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia. Finally, he served as Commanding General of the 5th Infantry Division from 1976 to 1978 and took the division and supporting forces to Germany on a NATO maneuver in 1978.Steele also handled officer assignments and school selections in the Infantry Officer Assignment Branch of the Department of Army; he was military advisor to the King's Royal Guard in Saudi Arabia; he taught at the U.S. Army Infantry School and the Army War College; he was Executive Officer and Senior Aide to the Army Chief of Staff, General William Westmoreland, and he was Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.