VOLUME 13, NO. 2     NOVEMBER 2000

Heebner '67 retires as three-star general

Colorful marching bands and a 15-gun salute were the order of the day during ceremonies honoring retiring Army Lt. Gen. David K. Heebner on Nov. 5, 1999, at Summerall Field in Fort Myer, Va. More than 350 guests attended the special program, including Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) William Lynn. WPI Vice President for Administration Steve Hebert '66 and his wife, Deborah, former director of Office of Graduate and Career Plans Bill Trask, former Alumni Editor Ruth Trask, and their son Jeff Trask '81 also attended.

The event began with a rousing concert by the United States Army Band (Pershing's Own), a march by the 3rd Infantry (The Old Guard), and a parade of flags. Gen. John M. Keane, the Army's vice chief of staff, cited Heebner for 32 years of outstanding military service and awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal. Keene praised Heebner's commitment to his troops and his remarkable achievements with Task Force Patriot Defender in Israel, where he commanded one of the most successful operations of Desert Storm. "Dave always lived up to the oath he took when he first joined the Army," he said. "The country thanks him for it." Heebner's wife, Bonnie, was presented with the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in recognition of her longtime support of military and charitable causes.

Heebner thanked his family, friends and those in the military who had helped shape his values and who supported him during his long career. He spoke of his devotion to the Army in general and to the soldiers under his command, in particular. "Failure on my watch was never an option," he said. The festivities concluded with a reception at the Fort Myer Officers' Club.

A Worcester native and a WPI trustee, Heebner graduated from WPI with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Air Defense Artillery. He earned an M.S. in operations research/systems analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1976 and an M.A. in national security and strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., in 1986.

One of the youngest three-star generals in the country, Heebner was an aviator in Vietnam and served in a variety of command positions, including the Air Defense Artillery batteries in Korea and at Fort Bliss, Texas. In addition to his leadership during Operation Desert Storm, he commanded the 1st Battalion, 51st ADA (Chaparral/Vulcan), 7th Infantry Division, at Fort Ord, Calif., and the 10th ADA Brigade (Patriot/Hawk), 32d AADCOM, Germany. He also served as assistant division commander (support) of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and has held key staff assignments in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans as well as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. He was director for program analysis and evaluation in the Office of the Chief of Staff prior to assuming his most recent post as assistant vice chief of staff in the Pentagon in 1997.

With his military career completed, Heebner has joined General Dynamics Corp. as vice president for strategic planning. He has been married to the former Bonnie Taylor of Paxton, Mass., an interior designer, for nearly 30 years. They live in Burke, Va. Their son, Jason, is a student at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. Their daughter, Heather, and son-in-law, Mike Nicholson, live in Fairfax, Va., with their infant son, Jacob.

--Ruth S. Trask