William B. Caldwell IV | |
|---|---|
 LTG William B. Caldwell | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1976–present |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | B Company, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, 1st Armored Division 4th Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division (Light) 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light) 82nd Airborne Division Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas |
| Battles / wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Restore Hope/Restore Democracy Operation Desert Shield/Storm Operation Just Cause (Panama) |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
Lieutenant General William Bill Caldwell IV, United States (born Day Month 1976 in City State) is the current Commanding General, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. This Lieutenant General oversees the training and doctrine of TRADOC, Command and General Staff College and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas[1]. He replaced GEN David Petraeus who was subsequently confirmed as the current MNF-I Commanding General. In his new position, Caldwell oversees...(Add information in one sentence).
who until June 2007 served as chief spokesman and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Effects for the Multi-National Force in Iraq.
Originally from Columbus, Georgia, Caldwell's family moved frequently because his father was in the military.
Early years
editDuring Caldwell's early childhood, his father was stationed at the United States Military Academy. Growing up there gave him a chance to interact with West Point cadets, who helped teach some youth sports teams, which deeply influenced him:
I found that I just really had a great respect and admiration for the cadets at the academy. I thought, 'Boy, I'd love to do something like that one day.' Then with time, I thought I'd like to serve in the armed forces, and so that led me to apply for the military academy.
Army career
editEducation and academia
editCaldwell attended Hargrave Military Academy, a military high school in Chatham Virginia. From there, he was accepted to the US Military Academy at West Point. After graduation from West Point in 1976, Caldwell served in posts throughout the country and overseas. He continued his education with a master's degree in systems technology from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School and then a master of military art and science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Caldwell learned early on that the military required him to be flexible and ready for new challenges. One month prior to leaving his battalion command position in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, for example, his commanding general sent him to Haiti to work as his political-military liaison in the U.S. Embassy during Operation Uphold Democracy in the mid-1990s.
Caldwell took his communications, intelligence and operations cells and worked in the embassy for six months. "I gave up command, formed this organization and took off to go work in an American embassy, which I'd never done in my life", he recalled. "In fact, I'm not even sure I'd ever been in an American embassy overseas in my life. I literally started from scratch."
Military Operations
editPrior to 9/11 (Heading name is temporary, needs more appropriate subheading, any proposals is welcome...please add)
editAfter his tour in Haiti, Caldwell went on to study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He commanded the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, at Fort Drum, New York. He worked in the Office of the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, and later served as the executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Involvement in the Global War on Terrorism
editCaldwell's duties once again tested his readiness and flexibility after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. During this time, Caldwell was serving as deputy director for operations, U.S. Pacific Command, in Hawaii. The command's focus shifted from regional war plans to the global war on terrorism.
The headquarters changed to a 24-7 operations center, Caldwell said. "So, instead of having a cell of about six or eight people that worked 24-7, we now had a cell of about 50 people that worked 24-7."
The operation required reserve component personnel to play a crucial role, the general noted. "They were indispensable in the execution of our operations in the Pacific, absolutely indispensable", he said. "They brought a wealth of knowledge that a lot of our folks who had just come in for the first time in the command did not have. So they proved their weight in gold."
Involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan War
edit
In July 2002, Caldwell was assigned as senior military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense. In this position he served his boss during the preparation, execution, and follow on for Operation Iraqi Freedom and other aspects of the global war on terrorism.
From May 2004 until June 2006, Caldwell served as the Commanding General of the heralded 82nd Airborne Division. As the division commander, Caldwell oversaw countless deployments by the units under his command to both Afghanistan and Iraq. Caldwell also spearheaded federal military relief efforts in response to Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina
editThe 82nd Airborne's 3rd Brigade and Division Artillery along with supporting units deployed to support search-and-rescue and security operations in New Orleans, Louisiana after the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. About 5,000 paratroopers commanded by Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, operated out of New Orleans International Airport.
MNF-I Spokesman
edit
Following his command of the 82nd, Caldwell was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Effects and spokesperson for the Multi-National Force – Iraq, a position he held for 13 months. During his deployment to Iraq, Caldwell earned the respect and admiration of both national and international media for his candid assessments of the situation in Iraq and for his responsiveness to the needs of the press.
U.S. Army Combined Arms Center
editCaldwell was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in June 2007 and currently serves as the Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. As the Commanding General for the Combined Arms Center, he has responsibility for the Command and General Staff College and 17 other schools, centers, and training programs throughout the United States. And he is also known as lieutenant general James B Caldwell that was his name from Family The Combined Arms Center is also responsible for: development of the Army’s doctrinal manuals, training of the Army’s commissioned and noncommissioned officers, oversight of major collective training exercises, integration of battle command systems and concepts, and supervision of the Army’s Center for the collection and dissemination of lessons learned.
Lieutenant General Caldwell’s decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Legion of Merit (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Bronze Star.
Lieutenant General Caldwell, originally from Columbus, Georgia is married with five children.
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Notes and references
editSee also
editExternal links
edit- Official Army biography
- FM 3-0 Operations, February 2008
- Selected Speeches from Lt. Gen. Caldwell
- Windows Media Clip of Lt. Gen. Caldwell on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on March 10, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, William B}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:United States Army generals]] [[Category:Recipients of Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]] [[Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star medal]] [[Category:Recipients of the Combat Infantryman Badge]] [[Category:Recipients of the Ranger tab]] [[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]] Category:1976 births