The Daily Record
Who Was Gen. William C. Lee?
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Why Was His Career Important To The United States Of America?
By GRAYSON BRADHAM
Maj. Gen. William “Bill” Carey Lee, “Father of the Airborne,” was a pioneer in the development of air forces during WWII and the years before. He was the officer who suggested the practice of parachuting soldiers into a combat zone, a highly unknown method of deploying troops into battle at the time. His contribution to the advancement of American warfare created a huge advantage in the invasion of Normandy, among many other key battles in WWII, and many conflicts afterward. He provided a way for soldiers to fight more efficiently in battle, and served his country well.
Gen. Lee was born on March 12, 1895 to Eldredge and Emma Massengill Lee of Dunn. His father and mother raised him through a modest childhood, in which he attended local Dunn public schools. After his childhood days in Dunn ended, Lee went to college at Wake Forest and N.C. State University. At age 22, Lee entered the armed forces as a second lieutenant of infantry. After being involved in active combat in France, toward the end of WWI, he became a full-time army soldier. He then took combat courses in Fort Benning, Ga., and after he graduated he went back to N.C. State and taught military science until 1926. He then served active duty in Panama for three years.
After these early days, Lee went through multiple military training programs, both stateside and in England and France. Gen. Lee also served as a peacetime observer in Germany for the U.S. during the early days of Hitler’s regime, and during his duty there, he first became fascinated with the use of airborne warfare.
After seeing Hitler develop Nazi Germany’s airborne warfare program, Lee kept the practice in his head, driving his superior officers crazy with his incessant chatter about the practice and its need to be implemented into an American program. Nobody thought that airborne warfare would catch on in the U.S. military, but Lee would change that.
After earning the position of executive officer of the Second Infantry Brigade, he found himself ordered to the Office of the Chief of Infantry, where he first persuaded the military brass that airborne warfare was a practical idea. The War Department was intrigued, so it ordered testing of Lee’s proposal. The tests were successful, and so they approved the creation of a parachute-jump training school at Fort Benning.
The soldiers who went through the program were known as “paratroopers.” Gen. Lee gradually convinced Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair in 1941 to 1942 that the creation of a separately trained fighting unit composed of only paratroopers was essential to the advancement of this program, and McNair realized the value of Lee’s proposal. He approved the activation of a new paratrooper regiment led by Lee called the U.S. Airborne Command, stationed at Fort Bragg.
The Airborne Command was the first organized effort to implement large-scale paratrooper training into American battle strategy. The program expanded quickly, and many young soldiers and officers were interested in it.
During the development of the program, Lee displayed amazing leadership. For this crucial skill during a critical military time, Gen. Lee was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Gen. Lee traveled to England in summer 1942 with multiple Allied generals to discuss the invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe. Lee suggested at these meetings that U.S. airborne forces be organized as separate divisions, and England agreed. On July 30, 1942, Gen. McNair approved the activation of two airborne divisions, and Gen. Lee was placed as the head of the 101st Airborne, which was located at Camp Claiborne, La, then moved to Fort Bragg.
In 1943, Lee again met with Allied leaders to plan the DDay invasion of Normandy, at which they approved the use of airborne forces. Lee even wrote the airborne doctrine and devised the tactical plans that were to be used in the invasion.
The 101st trained vigorously, and the stage was set for the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions to assist in D-Day. As the recruits prepared, Lee is quoted as telling them, “The 101st has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny.”
Unfortunately, just before the invasion was scheduled to occur, Lee was stricken with a severe heart attack and could not return to active duty. Lee was unable to see first hand how the 101st would perform in battle. To honor him, the members of the 101st yelled, “Bill Lee,” as their parachutes filled the skies of Normandy during D-Day.
Lee spent retirement back in Dunn with his wife, Dava Johnson Lee. The house they occupied has since been turned into a museum to honor his actions. Gen. William “Bill” Carey Lee died on June 25, 1948 an American hero.
Gen. Lee’s achievements for our country were truly some very fascinating acts. Not only did he represent Dunn well, he also represented America as a country well with his service in WWI and more prominently in WWII.
He persevered through both physical and mental struggles, and through the doubt surrounding him and what he was trying to accomplish. His innovation to develop the use of airborne warfare in our country not helped us gain an edge over our enemies in battle, but also for future advancements in modern warfare. Now, paratroopers aren’t used as exclusively, but soldiers now use the practice of parachuting out of helicopters and airplanes very often. He also displayed strong leadership in controlling his men, and also in taking the reigns over the airborne programs and perfecting them.
The “Father of the Airborne” most definitely deserves a place in America’s history as a hero, and we should all pay homage to a man who helped keep our freedom intact.
Grayson Bradham, the son of Dr. David and Meredith Bradham, just finished eighth grade at Dunn Middle School.
Grayson
