William W. Crouch

William W. Crouch
William W. Crouch
	General William W. Crouch
Nickname(s)	Bill
Born	July 12, 1941 (age 80); Los Angeles, California
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1963–1998
Rank	General
Commands held	Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army; Allied Land Forces Central Europe; United States Army Europe; Eighth United States Army; 5th Infantry Division; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Army Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal (2)
Other work	Cole Commission co-chair

General William Wright Crouch (born July 12, 1941)^[1] is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1997 to 1998.

Early life[]

Crouch was born on July 12, 1941 in Los Angeles, California.^[2] He attended the San Diego Army and Navy Academy and graduated from Claremont Men's College with a degree in Civil Government.^[3] He holds a master's degree in History from Texas Christian University.

Military career[]

Crouch commanded soldiers at every level from platoon through to army. He began his service in 1963 as a cavalry platoon leader in the 5th Infantry Division. He went on to command four companies, two of which were cavalry troops in combat. His subsequent commands included a cavalry squadron, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 5th Infantry Division.^[4] He also served as Commanding General of the Eighth United States Army and Chief of Staff United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea.

Crouch assumed command of United States Army Europe on December 19, 1994, and assumed command of Allied Land Forces Central Europe (LANDCENT) on February 15, 1996, and was its first American since its establishment in 1993. He served as Vice Chief of staff from 1997 until his retirement in 1998.

Crouch is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College. His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster.

Awards and decorations[]

	Defense Distinguished Service Medal
	Army Distinguished Service Medal
	Silver Star
	Legion of Merit
	Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
	Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
	Air Medal
	Army Commendation Medal
	Army Achievement Medal
	Valorous Unit Award
	National Defense Service Medal with Service star
	Vietnam Service Medal with two Service stars
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Army Service Ribbon
	Army Overseas Service Ribbon
	NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia
	Order of National Security Merit (Korea) Gugseon Medal
	Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) with bronze star
	Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal 1st class
	Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
	Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation
	Vietnam Campaign Medal

Post-military career[]

Admiral Harold W. Gehman (left) and General William W. Crouch brief reporters on the report of the USS Cole Commission

Crouch, along with retired Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., were appointed by Defense Secretary William S. Cohen on October 19, 2000 as co-chairmen of the Department of Defense's Cole Commission to investigate the bombing of the USS Cole (DDG-67).^[5] He has also served on the board of directors of the ,^[6] and since May 2005 has served on the board of Directors of FLIR Systems.^[3] He is also a Senior Mentor with the Leadership Development and Education Program for Sustained Peace at the , serves on the board of the at Claremont McKenna College,^[3] and sits on the advisory board of Isilon Systems.^[4]

Personal life[]

Crouch's wife, Vicki, also a native of Southern California, attended Scripps College, as did their two daughters Cami and Cathi. The Crouches have two grandchildren, Christopher William Cronin and Elizabeth Allison Cronin, and reside in Colorado.

References[]

^ "News Release: General Officer Announcement". Defense.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
^ General Officer announcement 331-91 June 24, 1997
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "FLIR Systems Biography". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Isilon Systems Federal Advisory Board". Isilon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
^ Cole Commission Focuses On Force Protection Measures
^ CADCA Board of Directors Archived February 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "[1]".

Military offices
Preceded by David M. Maddox	Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe 1994–1997	Succeeded by Eric K. Shinseki
Preceded by Ronald H. Griffith	Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1997–1998	Succeeded by Eric Shinseki

[1] "News Release: General Officer Announcement". Defense.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2012.

[2] General Officer announcement 331-91 June 24, 1997

[FLIR-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "FLIR Systems Biography". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved February 2, 2012.

[Isilon-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Isilon Systems Federal Advisory Board". Isilon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2012.

[5] Cole Commission Focuses On Force Protection Measures

[6] CADCA Board of Directors Archived February 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

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show v t Leaders of the United States Army
Senior Officer / Commanding General	Washington Knox Doughty Harmar St. Clair Wayne Hamilton Wilkinson Dearborn J. Brown Macomb W. Scott McClellan Halleck Grant Sherman Sheridan Schofield Miles
Chiefs of Staff	Young Chaffee Bates Bell Wood Wotherspoon H. Scott Bliss March Pershing Hines Summerall MacArthur Craig Marshall Eisenhower Bradley Collins Ridgway Taylor Lemnitzer Decker Wheeler Johnson Westmoreland B. Palmer Abrams Weyand Rogers Meyer Wickham Vuono Sullivan Reimer Shinseki Schoomaker Casey Dempsey Odierno Milley McConville
Vice Chiefs of Staff	Collins Haislip Hull Bolte W. Palmer Lemnitzer Decker Eddleman Hamlett Abrams Haines B. Palmer Haig Weyand Kerwin Kroesen Vessey Wickham Thurman A. Brown RisCassi Sullivan Reimer Peay Tilelli Griffith Crouch Shinseki Keane Casey Cody Chiarelli Austin Campbell Allyn McConville Martin