General Wade Hampton Haislip

Within two years of his graduation, he accompanied his regiment, the 19th Infantry, as part of the Expeditionary Force to Vera Cruz, Mexico. Returning in the late fall 1914 to Galveston, Texas, he was transferred the following August to Fort Sam Houston. While serving there, he introduced Mamie Dowd to Second Lieutenant Dwight Eisenhower. Mamie subsequently became Mrs. Eisenhower and this no doubt contributed some measure to the strong bond of friendship which existed throughout the lives these two men. Ham was a pallbearer at President Eisenhower's funeral.

With the advent of World War I, Ham as he was affectionately known to all friends and contemporaries, was promoted Major, National Army, in July 1918 sailed for France several months later. Initially, he was placed in charge of aerial gunnery training and later transferred to V Corp as Secretary of its General Staff. He participated in operations in the Vosges, in the St. Mihiel offensive and the Meuse Argonne offensive. Following the Armistice he served on General Staff of General Headquarters, American Forces in Germany at Coblenz.

He returned to the United States in August, 1921. During the interval between the two World Wars he first served as instructor at the United States Military Academy for two years. He attended all the schools a potential General is sent to including Advanced Course at Fort Benning (1924) the Command and General Staff School(1925 ) where he did so well that he was selected to attend the Ecole Superieure de Guerre (1925-1927). Returning from France, he took a brief two years out of his schooling to serve as Assistant Executive in the Office of Assistant Secretary of War. Upon termination of this assignment in 1931, he entered the Army War College at Washington, DC.

Nineteen thirty-two was an important year in Ham's life. He graduated from Army War College in June. On 14 July, he married Miss Alice Jennings Shepherd of Virginia. He then became an instructor at the Command and General Staff School at Leavenworth and served in this capacity until assigned to the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning in 1938.

Nineteen thirty-eight saw the shadows of World War II creeping our way. The position of Chief of the Budget and Legislative Planning Branch of the War Department General Staff began to assume added importance as the farsighted realized what a job lay ahead in preparation for our possible entry into the war. A top notch man was needed and the powers that be decided that Wade Haislip was that man. He served with this Branch for approximately three years and was awarded his first Distinguished Service Medal for his superior work.

Under the Third Army, it exploited the break-through at Avranches and passing rapidly behind the Germans, turned north and captured Argentan thus forming the southern front of the Falaise Gap. Later it established the first bridgehead across Seine River. It was the first Allied corps to reach the Rhine River when it captured Strasbourg. On 26 March 1945 the XV Corps effected a crossing of the Rhine and then drove across Germany and into Austria at Salzburg, sealing off Hitler's redoubt at Berchtesgaden. VE Day arrived. The XV Corps had fought its way 1200 miles across the Continent of Europe and Wade Haislip well earned his third Distinguished Service Medal which was shortly awarded to him. Incidentally, he received his third star on 15 April 1945.

An interesting sidelight of the XV Corps' advance across Germany was its liberation of King Leopold of Belgium whom the Germans had taken as a hostage when Belgium resistance collapsed. King Leopold and his beautiful consort, Princess Lilian Derethi, were most appreciative of their freedom and most cordial in their reception of General Haislip. In later years after the war, they visited this country and made a special point of calling on Ham and Alice.

In June 1945 Ham was given command of the Seventh Army. But the need for capable administrators back in Washington was urgent. Demobilization was beginning and the necessity for establishing our Army on a new peacetime basis was paramount. So in August 1945 the call went out for General Haislip to return to the United States. There followed a series of high staff assignments, the first of which was President of the Secretary of War's Personnel Board. This was followed in 1946 by assignment to the Chief of Staff's Advisory Group. In 1948 he became Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and one year later, 1949, became the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. His promotion to General promptly followed. The then Chief of Staff has said that Ham relieved him completely of the day to day administration of the Army. While serving as Vice Chief of Staff, Ham had the honor of serving as President Harry Truman's personal representative in Mexico City during the ceremonies surrounding the return of the Mexican Regimental Colors captured during the Mexican War. The Mexican Government and people were highly appreciative of this gesture on the part of our government and Ham and his party were given a royal reception.

He and Alice then took up residence at 2101 Connecticut Avenue. They became very popular in the diplomatic set. Both had gardening as a hobby. Alice had her flowers but Ham had a green thumb with vegetables. Anyone who was lucky enough to get some of his tomatoes will never forget them.

This idyllic existence was interrupted in early November 1971 when Ham was taken to Walter Reed Hospital with internal pains. He was apparently doing well after surgery when he suffered a stroke. He died on 23 December 1971 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on 27 December 1971 with full military honors.