en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Westmoreland
1 correction found
Just hours after Westmoreland was sworn in as Army Chief of Staff on July 7, 1968
The date is wrong. Westmoreland became Army Chief of Staff on July 3, 1968, not July 7; and Frederick Van Deusen was killed on July 3, 1968, which is why the events were only hours apart.
Full reasoning
This sentence gives the wrong swearing-in date.
- An Army-sourced biography states that Westmoreland "was chief of staff of the United States Army, 3 July 1968-30 June 1972."
- A Wikimedia Commons file page for the swearing-in photograph identifies the ceremony as taking place on July 3, 1968.
- The Hall of Valor entry for Frederick French Van Deusen lists him as KIA July 3, 1968 and describes the action occurring that day.
So the article's "July 7, 1968" date is incorrect. The chronology only works if the swearing-in is dated July 3, 1968, the same day Van Deusen was killed.
3 sources
- Landon Lecture Series - Biography - KSU-OME
Westmoreland "was chief of staff of the United States Army, 3 July 1968-30 June 1972."
- File: General William Westmoreland is sworn-in as 25th Chief of Staff of the United States Army by Army Vice Chief of Staff General Ralph E. Haines Jr.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
"General William Westmoreland took an oath as the 25th Chief of Staff of the United States Army ... on July 3, 1968".
- Frederick Van Deusen - Hall of Valor: Medal of Honor, Silver Star, U.S. Military Awards
"Frederick French Van Deusen KIA (RVN) June 22, 1931 - July 3, 1968" and "Lieutenant Colonel Van Deusen distinguished himself ... on 3 July 1968".