Gen William M. Miley
Commander 17th Airborne
Lt Colonel Stanley Johnson
Commander 139th AEB
Lt Colonel John W Paddock
155th AAAB
Col Maurice G Stubbs
Commander 193rd GIR
Col James R Pierce
Commander 194th GIR
Maj James J Kenny
Commander 224th AMC
Captain Cecil D. Land
Commander 411th Quartermaster Co
Lt Colonel Edward S Branigan
Commander 464th PFAB
Lt Colonel Kenneth L Booth
Commander 466th PFAB
Colonel George V. Millett Jr.
Colonel Edson Raff
Commanders 507th PIR
Colonel James W Coutts
Commander 513th PIR
Major Frank T. Hancock
Commander 517th Signal Co
Lt Col Paul F Oswald
Commander 680th GFAB
Lt Colonel Joseph W Keating
Commander 681st GFAB
1st Lieutenant Woodrow W. Mackey
Commander 717th Ordnance Co
William “Bud” Miley
Gen. Miley was born 26 Dec., 1897 at Fort McArthur, California, the youngest child of Brevet Lt. Col. John D. Miley and Sara M. Miley. He was one of five generations of U.S. Army: both grandfathers being West Point graduates as were his father, brother, uncle, and son.
General Miley graduated from West Point in June, 1918. While a cadet, he was a national intercollegiate champion as a tumbler, on the rings, and on the parallel bars. Immediately upon graduation, he joined the First Division in France. There followed a succession of military assignments, one of which was PMS & T at Mississippi State College, Starkville Miss., where he met and married Miss Julia A. Sudduth. He also had duty at Langley Field, VA and returned to West Point as Director of Athletics. Infantry duty followed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and in Panama and the Philippine Islands.
In 1940, the then Major Miley was ordered to organize and command the first U.S. Army parachute unit, the 501st Parachute Battalion. After being promoted to Lt. Col. shortly thereafter, he organized and commanded the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was the first airborne regiment. Gen. Miley was then ordered to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, to be Assistant Division Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, which was being organized at that time.
Early in 1943, Gen. Miley coordinated the activation of the 17th Airborne Division at Camp Mackall, N.C., and commanded it throughout training and combat in World War II.
After the war, he commanded the 11th Airborne Division in Japan and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He organized and was Director of the Joint Airborne / Troop Board that formulated future airborne/parachute plans, techniques, organizations, equipment, and doctrine. He was Commander, U.S. Army, Alaska, and retired in 1955 while Chief of Staff, Continental Army Command, Fort Monroe, VA.
After retirement he joined the brokerage concern of Merrilll Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Beane. After a second retirement in 1976, he moved to Starkville, Mississippi.
The members of the 17th Airborne Division Association are proud to salute our Commander, Major General William M. Miley.