Biographical Information re Brigadier General William Earl Crist

GENERALS OF THE ARMY 4 tried and convicted General Yamashita of the Japanese Army for his part in the atrocities committed against American prisoners of war and non-combatant civilians in the Philippines. General Bullene returned to the United States in March 1946, and a month later assumed command of the Army Chemical Center at Edgewood, Maryland. General Bullene was appointed Deputy Chief of the Chemical Corps in February 1951, and on June 21, 1951, became Chief Chemical Officer of the Army, with the rank of major general. General Bullene was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received during World War I. He received the Legion of Merit for services as commander of the San Jose project and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his work in determining the reason for premature bursts of the 4.2-inch chemical mortar and improvising field expedients to minimize the danger until the round could be corrected in manu- facture. He was promoted to first lieutenant (permanent) August 9, 1918; to captain (temporary) May 9, 1919; to captain (permanent) April 27, 1921; to major (perma- nent) May 1, 1937; to lieutenant colonel (permanent) October 25, 1940; to colonel (temporary) February 1, Post Photographic Laboratory 1942; to brigadier general (temporary) April 27, 1943; to colonel (permanent) March 11, 1948; to brigadier BRIG. GEN. WILLIAM EARL CRIST general (permanent) July 18, 1950, with date of rank from June 21, 1949; to major general (permanent) General Crist returned to China and to school June 21, 1951, with date of rank from August 25, 1949. following his assignment at West Point. During 1931 Address: Chief Chemical Officer, Department of the and 1933 he attended the North China Language School Army, Bldg. T-7, Gravelly Point, Washington 25, D. C. at Peking, China. From 1932 to 1935 he was language officer at Peking. The general was named special attache to Nanking CRIST, WILLIAM EARL, BRIG. GEN. China in 1935. Following this assignment he returned (012828) to the United States for duty with the 16th Infantry Fort Jay, New York. From 1938 to 1939 he served William Earl Crist was born in Harrisburg, Pennsyl- with the 11th Infantry at Fort Benjamin Harrison vania, on August 10, 1898. He was graduated from Indiana. the United States Military Academy and commissioned In 1929 the general was appointed to the War De a second lieutenant in the Infantry in 1920. partment General Staff, Military Intelligence Division, General Crist's initial assignment was to the at Washington, D. C. He held this position at the out true Infantry School in 1920. From 1921 to 1923 he was break of World War II and served in Washington until Scl an instructor at the school. 1943, when he was appointed assistant division com Following duty as an instructor General Crist re- mander of the 91st Division, Camp White, Oregon. ceived his first overseas assignment, serving with In 1943, he also was promoted to brigadier general the 15th Infantry in Tientsen, China, from 1923 to (temporary), and later that year was promoted to lieu 1926. During 1926, the general returned to the United tenant colonel in the Regular Army. States for duty with the 28th Infantry, Madison Bar- In January 1944, the general went to Moscow sec Russia as chief of staff of the U. S. Military Mission Ger racks, New York. From 1927 to 1928 the general instructed military returning in September of the same year. 191 science at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Hawaii was the general's next station with his Car The general returned to the United States Military assignment as chief of the military government sec he Academy in 1929 and served as Tactical Officer com- tion, Tenth Army from November 1944 to April 194 and manding cadets until 1932. This was followed by another military governmen 191