A Farewell to Two Friends: Remembering General Andrew J. Goodpaster and Captain Lillian K. Keil

The World War II Veterans Committee sadly notes the passing of General Andrew J. Goodpaster and Captain Lillian K. Keil. Two of the Committee’s best friends and strongest supporters, General Goodpaster and Captain Keil were among the greatest of the Greatest Generation.

Dwight D. Eisenhower once said that the qualities of a great man are “vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, and profundity of character.” With this description, he might have had in mind his friend and close confidant, Andrew J. Goodpaster. Throughout his life, General Goodpaster displayed a humble brilliance that made him respected among his peers, and beloved among the young men who served under him. During World War II, Goodpaster commanded the 48th Engineer Combat Battalion serving in the North African and Italian campaigns. Blessed with quick intelligence and a quiet confidence, he caught the eyes of his superiors after leading his battalion over a minefield under hostile fire before engaging the enemy, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He would also receive the Silver Star, two awards of the Legion of Merit, and two Purple Hearts.

In 1944 Goodpaster was brought to Washington, where he served as a war planner for General Marshall. Following the war, he turned his attention to academic pursuits, earning Masters Degrees in Engineering and Political Science, and a PhD in International Relations. In 1950 he joined the staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), where he became a favorite of Dwight D. Eisenhower, NATO commander at the time. A few years later he was asked by President Eisenhower to serve as staff secretary in the White House, where he became indispensable as the president’s most trusted advisor. He remained at the center of military affairs throughout the 1950s and 60s, and after a short retirement, was called back to active duty in 1977 to serve as the 51st Superintendent of West Point. The academy, which had been suffering through a massive cheating scandal among cadets, needed a leader who would command respect. It was said that just the mere presence of General Goodpaster, with his measured manner and quiet dignity, helped to immediately restore the reputation of West Point.

General Goodpaster remained active in a variety of military and research pursuits throughout his retirement, and gave the keynote address at every World War II Veterans Committee Annual Conference since its inception. He strongly believed that because it is in young people whom we must put our trust for the future, it is imperative that we give them a sense of the past.

Lillian K. Keil was, by many accounts, the most decorated woman in American military history. A member of the Army Air Corps and later the U.S. Air Force, Keil flew as a flight nurse on more than 425 missions during World War II and the Korean War. From the beaches of Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the Inchon invasion, Keil offered medical care, and a reassuring touch, to the wounded soldiers being evacuated on transport planes to hospitals in safety zones. She received scores of awards, including four Air Medals and two Presidential Unit Citations. Keil’s service proved so extraordinary that a 1954 movie, Flight Nurse, starring Joan Leslie and Forrest Tucker, was based on her experiences.

The World War II Veterans Committee’s annual award recognizing the outstanding service of a woman in World War II is named in Lillian Keil’s honor.