"Brigadier General Walter C. Sweeney and his son, Lieut. Walter C. Jr., both born in Wheeling, claim Wheeling as their home city and it is only in Wheeling that they can vote. General Sweeney entered the Regular Army from civil life June 1, 1899, as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry and was promoted according to seniority to 1st Lieutenant in 1901; to Captain in 1909; to Major in 1916; to Lieutenant Colonel in 1920; to the grad of Colonel in March, 1916 and to Brigadier General in December, 1935.
He saw active field service during the Spanish-American war and the Philippine insurrection in 1900 and 1901; in the Pulajane campaign in the Island of Leyte, in 1906 and 1907; in the Moro outbreaks in Mindanae, in 1910 and 1911, and was on active duty on the Mexican border in 1915-1916.
He joined the General Staff at General Pershing's Headquarters in Paris in July, 1917, and in August was promoted to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel of the National Army. H...
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@April 1955 – San Francisco
W.C. Sweeney (Grandad) was a great story teller. In 1955, just before I married into the family, my family entertained Dick's family to dinner. My father, who was still a serving officer in the Army, was complaining about the "Army just isn't what it use to be". Grandad got a big twinkle in his eye and said, "George, when I was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in 1899, the commanding office called myself and the other 2nd Lt. into his office and said 'Gentleman, the Army is going to hell!!"
The more things change, they more they stay the same!
During the Peace between WWI and WWII, the General had a hand in training many young officers who were instrumental in fighting WWII. This was in a time and era when playing cards was part of an officer's social life. The General use to say that one of the ways he judge a young officer was how he played bridge and poker. When you think of it, both games take a lot of math, tactics and strategy thinking. And those are what make a good Army man.