Former Army Chief of Staff Weyand Dies

HONOLULU - Former Army Chief of Staff Frederick C. Weyand, the last commander of U.S. military operations in the Vietnam War, has died. He was 93.

Weyand (WHY-and) died of natural causes Wednesday night at the Kahala Nui retirement residence in Honolulu, stepdaughter Laurie Foster said Thursday.

The general oversaw the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from South Vietnam before becoming the Army's chief of staff in 1974. He retired from active service in 1976.

Born in Arbuckle, Calif., in 1916, Weyand also served in World War II and the Korean War.

He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1939, the year after he received an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

During World War II, Weyand was an intelligence officer, serving in India, China and Burma, now Myanmar. He commanded an infantry battalion in the Korean War.

In 1964, Weyand assumed command of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii and took it to Vietnam.

His military honors and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.

Following retirement, Weyand became vice president and corporate secretary at First Hawaiian Bank. He retired from the bank in 1982, the year he was appointed a trustee of the now-dissolved Damon Estate, but continued to serve as a bank director until 2005.

During his retirement years, Weyand volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Honolulu Symphony, the Rotary Club of Honolulu, the Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross and the Aloha United Way.

Survivors include Weyand's wife of 10 years, Mary, three children and four stepchildren.

A funeral service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 26 at Central Union Church. Burial will take place the following day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.