The man tapped by President Obama to lead the war on Ebola is a long-time Army leader who has experience on the battlefield, in Africa, and the medical arena. Major General Darryl A. Williams just took over command of U.S. Army Africa, in June, and on Tuesday it was announced that he would set up a command center in Monrovia, Liberia, and oversee as many as 3,000 military personnel who will help with training new health workers and setting up new facilities.
"He just arrived today and is now on the ground in Liberia," Obama said of Williams and "Operation Unified Assistance" on Tuesday. "And our forces are going to bring their expertise in command and control, in logistics, in engineering."
After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1983, Williams became a field artillery officer and platoon leader based in Scheinfurt, Germany, according to his Army bio. He then had assignments in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before being deployed to the Persian Gulf for Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the early 1990.
He later earned a master’s degree in leadership development at West Point, and served as a tactical officer for the U.S. Corps of Cadets. And from 1998 to 2000, under Bill Clinton, he served as Army Aide to the President of the United States.
After more leadership positions both stateside and in Germany, he served as the deputy director for "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness," and served as the Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition — a role in which he oversaw programs geared towards the well-being of soldiers returning from battle.
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— Hasani Gittens