US Army General. He was born in Heflin, Alabama and graduated from the Marion Military Institute, Marion, Alabama in 1924. He was selected to attend the US Military Academy at West Point, New York and graduated in 1928 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. During World War II he was an executive officer of the 1st Special Service Force from 1942 to 1944 and saw action at Kiska, Alaska in August 1943 when a combined American and Canadian commando force (later known as The Devil's Brigade for its heroic actions in the Italian Campaign) retook the island previously captured by Japanese forces in 1942. From January 1944 to January 1945 he was the commanding officer of the 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division and saw combat in the Mediterranean and European Theaters. In January 1945 he became the Assistant Division Commander of the 45th Infantry Division and in January 1946 he was assigned to Headquarters, Army Ground Forces and the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from 1947 to 1950. From 1950 to 1951 he was a student and then a faculty member at the Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania before being sent to Korea where he consecutively served at Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division, Chief of Staff of X Corps and Chief of Staff, 8th Army, serving in those positions until June 1953. He was then assigned as Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division until December 1953. In 1958 he performed duty as the Commanding General, US Army Forces in the Middle East where he directed U.S. Army and Marine forces in the landings in Lebanon and from 1959 to 1960 he was Commander, V Corps. From 1960 to 1961, he concurrently served as Commanding General, 3rd Army and Commanding General, Fort McPherson, Georgia. In 1961 he was promoted to the rank of general and became the Commander-in-Chief, US Strike Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he was instrumental in the staging of US military forces during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He served in that position until his retirement in 1966, with 38 years of consecutive active duty military service. Among his military decorations and awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (with one oak leaf cluster), the Bronze Star (with 3 oak leaf clusters), the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Basic Parachutist Badge. After his military retirement he was president of Paul D. Adams and Associated from 1966 to 1971. He died in Tampa, Florida at the age of 81.
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In July 2013, the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded, collectively, to the First Special Service Force (FSSF) in recognition of its superior service during World War II. On February 3, 2015 surviving FSSF Veterans were in Washington DC to accept this momentous recognition on behalf of their fellow Forcemen who could not be there