To most, Gen. William C. Westmoreland was the
personification of the Unites States' long, divisive involvement in the Vietnam
War.
But at his funeral in Charleston's St. Michael's Episcopal Church on
Thursday, the congregation was reminded that the South Carolina native had many
accomplishments, both before and after Vietnam.
The four-star general, who retired to Charleston in 1972 while the Vietnam
War still raged, died Monday at age 91. He is to be buried at 11 a.m. Saturday
at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where he was the
highest-ranking cadet of his class of 1936.
The funeral was brief and low-key, though the historic church at Broad and
Meeting streets was mostly full.
"That's what he would have wanted," South Carolina Adjutant General Stan
Spears said after the service. "He was never looking for a pat on the back."
Westmoreland's coffin was draped in a cream-colored pall adorned with a
maroon cross. It was carried into the church by pallbearers representing every
branch of the U.S. military. Family members followed, including Westmoreland's
children and his widow, Katherine "Kitsy" Van Deusen Westmoreland.
In his sermon, the Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison said today's society is
quick to seize on "the last word" to define individuals and historic events. But
critics and historians don't have the last word, only God does, the retired
bishop of South Carolina said.
Westmoreland was a throwback to a time when the word "gentleman" meant
something, Allison said. It was that trait that defined the general from his
days as an Eagle Scout, through his 36-year military career and into retirement.
Despite a long resume of military assignments, including combat during World
War II, Westmoreland is linked to Vietnam and his role as commander of U.S. and
allied troops from 1964 to 1968.
Lt. Col E.G. "Buddy" Sturgis of the S.C. Military Department, a close friend
of Westmoreland, said the general often was misunderstood. "He took a lot of
hits from some people who did not know him," Sturgis said as he waited for the
service. "But he was a great warrior."
Westmoreland also had a sense of humor and was proud of his Southern roots,
as reflected in a story told by Allison that drew chuckles during the service:
At West Point, Westmoreland and other cadets from the South had their own name
for a statue on the academy grounds that honored Yankee soldiers killed in the
Civil War. "They rechristened it the Monument to Southern Marksmanship."
