William Rowland Richardson

1929 - 2023

Richardson

William Rowland Richardson

William Rowland Richardson, a four-star general who served as commander of the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) from 1983 to 1986, died November 15, 2023 in McLean, VA, from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 94. As described by Thomas Ricks in The Generals, he was one of a group of general officers who helped transform U.S. Army doctrine and training after the Vietnam War, and in light of lessons learned from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Later, the Army's performance in the Gulf War demonstrated the success of these efforts.



General Richardson was born in Taichow, China, in 1929, the son of missionaries sponsored by the Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church of Augusta, GA, his mother's home. He lived there until the invasion of China by Japan forced U.S. citizens to leave the country. He first set foot on American soil at the age of nine.



General Richardson graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1951. Shortly thereafter, he served as a platoon leader in the 7th Infantry Division during the Korean War. There, he experienced firsthand the importance of pre-deployment training at Ft. Benning and in Japan. The prior class of West Point officers had been required to be deployed promptly after the June 1950 invasion by North Korea, and suffered far higher casualties in the absence of such training. After the war, General Richardson served as a mortar company commander in the 1st Infantry Division. In two later tours in Vietnam, he was first a battalion commander for the 9th Infantry Division, and then a brigade commander and chief of staff for the Americal Division.



A major influence on General Richardson was his service from 1968 to 1970 as executive officer for General William DePuy, Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. Based on his experiences as an infantry officer with unnecessary loss of life in World War II, General DePuy was the moving force behind establishment of TRADOC and became its first commander.



General Richardson, as commander of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, together with his staff helped implement what became known as a new warfighting approach, "AirLand Battle," at the direction of General Donn Starry, General DePuy's first TRADOC successor, and General Edward Meyer, Chief of Staff of the Army. This emphasis on deep attack was a response to concerns during the Cold War about the need for a more forward position for NATO forces in Germany in the event of an attack by the Warsaw Pact. It made use of newer weapons such as the Abrams tank, Bradley fighting vehicle, improved artillery, and attack aircraft and helicopters. The new approach also planned for the increasing possibility of fighting wars in areas other than Europe.



General Richardson emphasized that TRADOC was the "heart of the Army," and that "Excellence Starts Here." As Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Operations and Plans between his tours at Ft. Leavenworth and as TRADOC commander, he was in a key position to assist in this effort. At Ft. Leavenworth and later TRADOC, he recruited and encouraged innovative thinkers, promoted their efforts through establishing the School of Advanced Military Studies, and ensured that service at TRADOC was an important step in the career path of those who would later seek to assume field commands.



General Richardson formed the Soviet Army Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, the forerunner of the Foreign Military Studies Office. As TRADOC commander, he also developed close working relationships through exchange visits with his counterparts in the Israeli Defense Force and each of our NATO allies. He worked closely with the Tactical Air Command, to promote Air Force coordination with and support for Army forces on the ground.



Perhaps his most important contribution to the "Army of Excellence" was in emphasizing the importance of realistic training. This extended both to soldiers and to officers, including how to lead their commands in battle, and how to encourage them to use their own initiative, judgment, and flexibility to address the inevitability of unforeseen developments in combat. As TRADOC commander, General Richardson made repeated visits to each of the Army's many branch schools and training centers to carry out this mission "to prepare the Army for war." Earlier in his career, he had spent three tours at the Infantry School at Ft. Benning (now Ft. Moore), including service as the assistant commandant there. In the early 1960s, he had also worked for the Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy to promote leadership qualities in future U.S. Army officers.



After his retirement in 1986, General Richardson became Executive Vice President for Army Programs at Burdeshaw Associates. He was also active in providing Army leaders with advice. This included how best to serve the needs of the Army's reserve components (the U.S. Army Reserve and the National Guard) in the post-Vietnam era, when they have been increasingly integrated into combat operations. A lifelong supporter of the role of West Point in training officers to become effective Army leaders, he also continued his advocacy to West Point's leaders of changes to its mission statement to promote the Army's longer term retention of West Point graduates.



In 1999, General Richardson became a recipient of the Doughboy Award by the Infantry School. In 2008, he was inducted into the Ft. Leavenworth Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was designated a Distinguished Graduate by the U.S. Military Academy. His awards and decorations included the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with V Device, and the Purple Heart.



General Richardson loved sports and was always a highly competitive participant in them, from childhood through retirement. He excelled at tennis and squash. He was the captain of the Army tennis team in 1951, played on many other Army tennis teams during his career, and was a tennis and squash instructor at West Point. His few regrets in life related to sports. One was his softball loss at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces to the National War College team. Another was his absence from West Point, as the officer representative of the squash team on the road, which caused him to miss the famous last speech of General MacArthur to the Corps of Cadets in 1962. That speech was directed to West Point's famous motto â€" "Duty, Honor, Country" â€" which was the embodiment of the leadership and character qualities General Richardson was devoted to instilling in all U.S. Army officers.



General Richardson is survived by his wife Mary, his three sons (William Jr. of Arlington, VA; David of Mill Valley, CA; and John, of Newnan, GA) and their wives, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.



A private family burial service will be held at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, at 1724 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Virginia 22101.