European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 17, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday june 17, 1992 the stars and stripes Warrior sees histo., a one of first . Generals in occupied Berlin revisits City ii a six a Page 9 by Ron Jensen Nimberg Bureau Berlin a Berlin was in ruins when William a. Knowlton first saw it in 1945 As a Young army Captain. Piles of rubble on Street Corners reached the second Story of any building still standing. Knowlton who was one of the first americans to occupy the City after world War ii As part of the military government returned to Berlin last month. The retired general helped bid Farewell to the 40th Armor regt a unit in which he once served and is regarded As an honorary colonel. In Between those two Berlin visits both the City and the Man have taken part in a fair bit of the history of the past half Century. Berlins role is Well known a divided defended and in november 1989, delirious. Knowlton a name on the other hand does not jump from the pages of history books. But it is there hidden behind the Ink extolling the Virtues of More prominent figures. Before the end of the War he was ordered by Gen. James Gavin to link up with the russians North of Berlin a Union made by others South of Berlin. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower chose Knowlton As one of the first 30 officers to comprise the staff of newly created shape in 1951. He was military attache to Tunisia from 1961 to 1963, assistant division commander in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, chief of staff of european come in Germany and the american nato representative in the 1970s. And that is just a partial list of his commands and positions and does not include the Many medals and honors including the Silver Star with two Oak Leaf clusters. He Speaks several languages and recently lectured at a military Institute in Tunisia in both French and arabic. After the 40th regt Farewell ceremony he engaged visiting russian officers in their native Tongue one he picked up while hobnobbing with russians in Berlin in 1945. When asked during a one hour interview if he has written his memoirs Knowlton 72, smiled Shook his head and said a i get asked that All the if he does put his life on paper the genealogy Buff May Retreat through several generations of his family for material. He was not the first member of the Knowlton family to be where history was being written. His Grandfather who moved to America from Germany As a Young boy fought at the civil War Battles of Shiloh from the time i was a Little boy i wanted to be a Soldier a retired Gen. William a. Knowlton and Chickamauga. He later was attorney general for Massachusetts and prosecuted Lizzie Borden on the charge that she gave her parents More than a few whacks with an a in 1892. He died in 1913, seven years before Knowlton was born. A for years i did no to know he was even a Soldier a says Knowlton who retired from military service in 1980. A but it must be in the genes. From the time 1 was a Little boy i wanted to be a in fact Knowlton showed some prescient skills As a boy. In the fifth Grade he was signing his school work with the Moniker a Gen. William a. although his promotion to general would not occur until 1976, his military career got off to an Early but inauspicious Start. At the age of 14, in the summer of 1934, he enlisted in the cavalry. But bouncing on horseback was not his idea of a career and his premature enlistment ended at age 15. When Knowlton became a Soldier for keeps world War ii was on the horizon. It was during the final months of the conflict that Knowlton moved briefly to the limelight when the readers digest wrote about him in an article titled a your Mission is to Contact the Knowlton suspects that Gavin ordered the linkup with the russians North of Berlin and East of the Elbe River in an Effort to keep the russians out of the Jutland Peninsula a because god knows when wed Ever get them out pushing East toward Laid Wiglusz Knowlton and his group of fewer than 100 soldiers pushed against a Stream of refugees All of whom assured him the russians were close behind them. But it took two Days and two nights of travel to meet them. Meanwhile. Knowlton was disarming German soldiers and telling them a giant task Force was close on his heels. When his Bluff was called by a German colonel Knowlton responded Quot do you think 1 would be stupid enough to come this deep into your territory with 90 people Quot Knowlton and his soldiers eventually met with the russians and it was some of those officers who became the occupying Force for Russia in Berlin at the wars end. Berlin was divided among the allies and Knowlton remembers travelling with a a rat pack of International officers British French and russian. A a we a party in one sector one week and another sector the next week a he said. A for about six months i would go anywhere with no papers because everybody knew he wired his wife Marjorie a a you re coming to Berlin. German Isnit necessary. Russian is. Learn but the russians began to distance themselves from the americans Knowlton recalled. The russians were being taught terrible things about the americans and he watched them struggle to reconcile what they were being taught with what they were seeing firsthand. A you could almost see the gears go around in their minds a he said. The Days of easy interchange in Berlin soon ended. Knowlton s russian friends advised him to Stop seeing them and the russians withdrew More and More from the other victors a division that took on a More serious tone As the c old War heated up. A it did not startle me when it took the form of the Wall a said Knowlton who was stationed in Tunisia when the Berlin Wall was built. Now his recent visit to Berlin was to a City no longer divided where he would speak at an american military ceremony attended by russian officers. A a we be come to the end of one Era a War so to speak but without firing a shot a he said. Knowlton who was so entrenched in events of the past has a word of warning about the future As he watches american military presence in Europe dwindle. A a it Sall very confusing. We done to know what a happening out there a he said. He agrees with Gen. John r. Galvin the supreme Allied commander of nato who wants to retain at least a corps of american military in Europe. A you have to have a minimum of a corps to be a player at the table a said Knowlton a Man who was himself a player in so much of the worlds history for nearly 50 night coordinator killed on trip to . Kaiserslautern Germany a amps police in san Bernardino county calif., Are investigating the stabbing death of a former . Service member and longtime Kaiserslautern resident. Lionel Corey who would have been 60 last sunday was killed in his Motel in Victorville calif., on either May 21 or 22, said a spokesman for the san Bernardino sheriffs department. He died from head wounds that were inflicted by someone who apparently used a screwdriver or ice pick police said. Robbery apparently was not the motive because Money and jewelry in Plain View were left behind police said. A 12-year service member Corey retired from the army in 1973 and remained in Germany said his wife Maria Corey. Lor nearly two decades Corey coordinated the Casino nights periodically held in army clubs in Germany. Corey was in the United states on business and Leisure and was just Days away from returning to Germany his wife said. The couple had planned to move to California in the next few years. After attending a poker tournament in Las vegas Corey drove on May 21 about 140 Miles to Victorville which is near George fab and about 70 Miles East of los Angeles police said. He was in town to Check on his interest in a construction business operated by his Cousin. Corey checked in at the Greentree inn along interstate 15 at 5 30 ., police said. His Cousin told police he called Coreys room at 8 But there was no answer. The Motel manager found Corey dead at noon the following Day
