US Army Master Parachutist Badge : Brigadier General E W Williamson, 173rd Airborne Brigade

Silver Master Parachutist badge, consisting of an open parachute on and over a pair of stylised wings displayed and curving inward. A star and wreath are added above the parachute canopy to indicate the degree of qualification. The reverse is marked with 'STERLING' and the maker's logo, and has two pins to hold butterfly clasps.

US Army Master Parachutist Badge worn by Brigadier General E W Williamson, 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Ellis Warner Williamson was born in Raeford, North Carolina in 1918. He served with the 120th Infantry Regiment, North Carolina National Guard during his years at high school and university. Upon graduating from university in 1940 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, which coincided with his unit entering Federal service. Williamson served with his regiment in Normandy and during the German offensive in the Ardennes. He was a Regimental Commander with the rank of Colonel by the end of the Second World War. His unit returned to North Carolina state control in January 1946.

On his return to the United States Williamson was integrated in the regular US Army. He was appointed an instructor of tactics at the US Army's Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and after attending Command and General Staff College was assigned to X Corps in Korea in 1950. As Assistant Operations Officer he took part in the planning of the decisive amphibious landings at Inchon in September of that year.

In 1952 Williamson was assigned to the Office of Army Chief of Staff. He then attended the Armed Forces Staff College and subsequently returned to Washington for duty in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In 1956 Williamson took command of the 13th Infantry Regiment prior to this unit's deployment to Germany, and in 1958 became chief of the 7th Army's Training Division. He then returned to the United States, where he qualified as a parachutist before attending the National War College.

Williamson was promoted to Brigadier General in 1963 and assumed command of the newly activated 173rd Airborne Brigade on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Over the next two years he trained this unit for deployment in the Pacific. The Brigade deployed to Vietnam in 1965 under Williamson's command. The Australian Army's 1 Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) and its supporting elements were also assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Bien Hoa upon their arrival. Brigadier General Williamson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his courage and leadership during an action in November of that year.

In 1966 Williamson was promoted to Major General, and then appointed to command the US Army Training Centre at Fort Polk, Louisiana. During this appointment he oversaw the shift in army training to focus on jungle warfare and counterinsurgency in Vietnam. He then returned to Vietnam in 1968 to command 25th Infantry Division.

In 1969 he was posted to the Pentagon to manage the National Guard and Army Reserves, and qualified as an Army aviator during this period. In 1971 he was appointed chief of the US Military Mission to Iran, contributing to diplomatic relations with the Shah's government and overseeing the supply of equipment and training in its use. Issues with his health saw him medically evacuated and then retired in 1973.

Major General Williamson died in 2007.