Brigadier General William Engel
24th White Sands Missile Range Commander
22 October 2001 – 02 May 2003
Brigadier General William F. Engel was the 24th Commander of White Sands Missile Range. Prior to this assignment, General Engel served as the Deputy Commanding General for Training and the Assistant Commandant of the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Brigadier General Engel was also the Deputy Director of Operations, National Military Command Center, J-3, the Joint Staff, Washington, DC; Chief, Command Planning Group, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia; and Commander, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, III Armored Corps Artillery. After completing the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair, Washington, DC, General Engel served as the Chief, Surety and Management Division, and later as Chief, Nuclear Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Washington, DC.
His career began as a Platoon Leader in C Battery, 3rd Battalion (Target Acquisition), 26th Field Artillery, then as the Executive Officer, C Battery and later Assistant S3 (Operations) 2nd Battalion, 1st Field Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His other military assignments include a variety of staff positions with the 2nd Battalion, 30th Field Artillery; Commander, 12th Field Artillery Detachment, 559th Field Artillery Group, Italy; Assistant Professor of Military Science, Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma; and Assistant Fire Support Coordinator and G-3 Plans/Force Development Officer, 2d Infantry Division Artillery, Korea. After Korea, General Engel attended the Foreign Area Officer Course and received Spanish language training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was then assigned to the United States Army School of the Americas (USARSA) where he served as the Chief, Weapons Division; Operations Officer, and finally the school’s Assistant Deputy Commandant. After attending the first USARSA Command and General Staff College Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, General Engel was assigned as the S3 and later Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, 197th Infantry Brigade, Chief, Logistics Division of the USARSA, and Commander 4th Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 197th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) which deployed during Operations Desert Shield/Storm.
Brigadier General Engel graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Virginia, with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Physical Sciences. He received a Master’s of Arts Degree in Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma.
Brigadier General Engel commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer and is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, as well as the Command and General Staff College (USARSA), and the Inter-American Defense College.
His military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal, the Joint Staff Identification Badge, and the Department of Army Staff Badge.
Brigadier General Engel is married to the former Linda McDonald of Enid, Oklahoma. They have three children: Lisa, Ben, and Tiffany.
Brigadier General Engel retired in May 2003 and made his home in Alexandria, Virginia.