Robert J. Wood

Infobox Military Person
name=Robert J. Wood
born= 1905
died= death year and age|1986|1905


caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth= Petersburg, Virginia
placeofdeath= Washington, D.C.
placeofburial=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=1930-1965, 1968-1969
rank= General
unit=
commands=
battles=
awards=Distinguished Service Medal
relations=
laterwork=

Robert Jefferson Wood (June 9 1905 - July 8, 1986) was a United States Army four-star general who helped organize the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military organization in the early 1950's and later served as director of the military assistance program from 1962 to 1965.

Early career

Wood was born in Petersburg, Virginia. He attended Randolph-Macon College from 1925 until entering the United States Military Academy in 1926. Upon graduating on June 12, 1930, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps.citation
title = Brief Biographical Sketch
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=7340AAAAIAAJ&q=%22robert+jefferson+wood%22&dq=%22robert+jefferson+wood%22&pgis=1 ]

During World War II, Wood served in the Mediterranean theater, advancing through the grades from captain to colonel.citation
first = Dean R. |last = Heaton
title = Four Stars: The Super Stars of United States Military History
place = Baltimore
publisher = Gateway Press
year = 1995
page = 109 ] As a lieutenant colonel, he served in the G-3 section of the Fifth Army staff under Major General Alfred M. Gruenther, future NATO supreme commander. Following the war, he attended the National War College and served as a military aide to Secretary of Defense James Forrestal.

NATO

In 1951, Wood was assigned to the Advanced Planning Group charged with creating Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the NATO headquarters organization. The chief of the Advanced Planning Group was now-Lieutenant General Alfred Gruenther, who was still using Wood as his "personal dog robber", or staff troubleshooter, so Wood took the job of staff secretary as it seemed to them to be the best control point. "General Gruenther is an extremely able staff officer," Wood later observed. "I learned more about staff work in the 5th Army and SHAPE from him than I ever did at Leavenworth [Command and General Staff School] ." citation
first = Edward C. |last = Meyer
first2 = R. Manning |last2 = Ancell
first3 = Jane |last3 = Mahaffey
title = Who Will Lead? Senior Leadership in the United States Army
place = Westport
publisher = Praeger Publishers
year = 1995
page = 60 ]

As staff secretary, Wood dealt with a diverse set of issues ranging from critical tasks such as helping the planning group organize itself while concurrently working out the nature and organization of the command as a whole, developing the necessary infrastructure, and transitioning the previous planning groups into the actual command headquarters organization;citation
name = Col. Robert J. |last = Wood
title = The First Year at SHAPE
journal = International Organization
volume = 6
number = 2
date = May 1952] to comparatively trivial tasks such as devising the SHAPE logo and motto [http://www.nato.int/shape/graphics/logo/logo.htm The SHAPE insignia: A corporation by a Parisian designer, an Irish Lawyer (*1750) and General Eisenhower] ] and rescheduling the SHAPE activation date to avoid April Fool's Day.

Following SHAPE's activation on April 2, 1951, Wood continued to serve as secretary of the staff at SHAPE headquarters until May 1952, when he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned as Chief of the Defense Annual Review Team for the U.S. Mission to NATO and the European Regional Organization (USRO). In July 1953, he was assigned as deputy defense advisor to the United States Ambassador to NATO in Paris, France.

enior positions

In January 1956 he was appointed deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missile Center at Fort Bliss, Texas, [ [http://www.rtcol.com/~oakland/author2.html Oozlefinch Award] ] and became commanding general of Fort Bliss and commandant of the Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missile School on May 1, 1956.

On July 1, 1957, Wood was assigned as the Army's Deputy Chief of Research and Development, working on a variety of projects including antimissile weaponscitation
newspaper = Los Angeles Times
date = January 23, 1958
title = Good Progress Reported on Antimissiles
url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/441267262.html?dids=441267262:441267262&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+23%2C+1958&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=7&desc=Good+Progress+Reported+on+Antimissiles ] and germ and gas warfare systemscitation
title = My Day
first = Eleanor |last = Roosevelt
date = April 5, 1960
url = http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1960&_f=md004711 ] . He served on the Army Aircraft Requirements Review Board, also known as the Rogers Board, which was established on January 15, 1960 by the Army Chief of Staff to review the Army Aircraft Development Plan and the related industry proposals. The Rogers Board's members included Major Generals Hamilton H. Howze, Thomas F. Van Natta, Alva R. Fitch, Richard D. Meyer, Ernest F. Easterbrook, and chairman Lieutenant General Gordon B. Rogers; and its results prefigured the more influential Howze Board on airmobility. [ [http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/Vietnam/Airmobility/airmobility-ch01.html The Growth of the Airmobile Concept] ]

In 1960, he was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned as commanding general of the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, assuming command on August 1, 1960.

Director of Military Assistance

On September 1, 1962, he succeeded General Williston B. Palmer as director of the military assistance program in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, with rank of full general. The Director of Military Assistance supervised the operational details of arms transfer to NATO allies and other friendly countries, as guided by the State Department. As chief of staff of the foreign military aid program, he was considered to be on the same level as the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and of comparable military rank, but without a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.citation
first = Felix Jr. |last = Belair
date = November 22, 1959
newspaper = New York Times
title = Eisenhower Names Head Of Military Aid Program; Selects General Palmer for Pentagon Post at Chief-of-Staff Level
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10815FC3D5E1A7B93C0AB178AD95F4D8585F9 ] When Wood retired, the position was downgraded to three stars and eventually its title was changed to deputy assistant secretary of defense (international security affairs) for military assistance and sales. [http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7515 Biographies: LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROBERT H. WARREN] ]

Retirement

Wood retired on September 1, 1965, but was recalled to active duty on February 1, 1968 to serve as Director of the Overseas Base Requirements Study Group, a special interdepartmental study group planning future overseas military base locations. Upon completion of this assignment, he returned to the retired list on March 31, 1969. He subsequently served on a presidential task force on international development and consulted for the Research Analysis Corporation in McLean, Virginia.

He married the former Sarah Thomas on September 4, 1930. He died on July 8, 1986 and was survived by his wife and one daughter.

His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2), and the Purple Heart. citation
title = R.J. Wood Dies; Retired General, Defense Official
date = July 10, 1986
newspaper = Washington Post
url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/128658992.html?dids=128658992:128658992&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&fmac=&date=Jul+10%2C+1986&author=&desc=R.J.+Wood+Dies] He attended the Coast Artillery School, the Command and General Staff School, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the National War College.

ee also

References