William Childs Westmoreland (born
March 26,
1914) is a retired
United States General who commanded US military operations in the
Vietnam War from
1964-
68. His highly publicized, positive assessments of US military prospects in
Vietnam were shattered by the
1968 Tet Offensive, in which
Communist forces attacked cities and towns throughout
South Vietnam. He later served as the Army's chief of staff.