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He was born in Spartanburg County in S.C. in 1914. His upper class family was invloved with textiles and banking. Westmoreland graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1936. Following graduation he became an artillery officer and served in several different commands, taking part in combat missions in Tunisia, Sicily, France, and Germany, and reaching the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel and subsequently Colonel during combat operations in Europe. Westmoreland always balanced a reputation as a stern taskmaster with that of an officer who cared about his men and took great interest in their welfare.
In 1943, while in Sicily, his battalion was selected to be the artillery support for the 82nd Airborn Division. By war's end he was serving as Chief of Staff for the 9th Infantry Division. His connecton with the 82nd continued after the war when Westmoreland commanded the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 82nd and then served as Division Chief of Staff.
Westmoreland's World War II experience with the 82nd Airborn led to his being asked by General James M. Gavin to join the 82nd as a regimental commander after the war. He served with the 82nd Airborn for 4 years. During the Korean War, he commanded the 187th Regional Combat team. In late 1953 Westmoreland was promoted to Brigadier General and spent the next 5 years at the Pentagon. In 1956, at age 42, he became the youngest Major General in the Army. In 1958 he assumed command of the 101st Airborn Division. In 1960 he became Superintendent at West Point Academy, and in 1963 he became commander of the XVIII Airborn Corps.
In 1964 he became deputy commander of Military Assistance Command, (MACV) Vietnam. As head of the MACV he was known for highly publicized, positive assessments of U.S. military prospects in Vietnam. General Westmoreland worked 7 days a week, 17 hours a day. He was angry when the press reported he would play tennis during lunch. He would often fly into combat areas to talk to the soldiers. Westmoreland always said his saddest duty was signing the many condolence letters to the families of those killed.
Westmoreland served as U.S Army Chief of Staff from 1968-1972, then retired from the Army. Westmoreland made an unsuccessful bid for South Carolina Governor in 1974. He published his autobiography A Soldiers Report a year later. He later served on a task force to improve educational standards in South Carolina. Among the many honors he received during his service, Westmoreland was awarded 4 Distinguished Service Medals, The Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge and many foreign decorations. Willia Westmoreland died July 18, 2005 at the age of 91 at the Gadsden Retirement home in Charleston, S.C. On July 23, 2005 he was buried at West Point Cemetary, United States Military Academy.
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