On February 5, 1944, William Carey Lee, the “Father of the Airborne,” suffered a heart attack that ended his military career.
Born in Dunn in 1895, Lee volunteered for the United States Army during World War I. After the war, he remained in the army and, in 1939, was assigned to the Chief of the Army’s office in Washington, D.C. There he became part of a maverick group of army officers advocating for the development of an airborne army infantry force.
The Army authorized the development of a test platoon of paratroopers, and placed Lee in charge. When the Amy raised two airborne divisions, Lee received command of the 101st. He oversaw its development and training and was instrumental in getting airborne and glider operations going at Camp Mackall and Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base.
The inclusion of the airborne divisions in the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 was a direct result of Lee’s work. Nevertheless, he was unable to participate due to the heart attack. However, the members of the 101st Division, the Screaming Eagles, were ordered to yell the name “Bill Lee” as they departed their transports over France in the early morning hours of D-Day.
Lee died in 1948, and is buried in Dunn.
Other related resources:
- North Carolina and the Two World Wars from N.C. Historical Publications
- Don’t You Know There’s a War On?, a video on World War II from the N.C. Museum of History
Image from NCSU Libraries.