William Hale Wilbur (September 24, 1888 – December 27, 1979) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Early life and military service Wilbur was born September 24, 1888 in Palmer, Massachusetts. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1912 and joined the Army from his birth city of Palmer, Massachusetts. After being commissioned, he spent three years in Panama and then three years as an instructor at West Point. In June 1918, Wilbur was promoted to major in the American Expeditionary Forces and sent to France, where he saw combat in World War I and commanded a battalion. Before returning to the United States, he attended the French military academy École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr as a classmate of Charles de Gaulle, graduating in 1920. After teaching at the Infantry School, Wilbur was sent back to France in 1922 to study at the École supérieure de guerre, graduating in 1924. He later graduated from the Infantry School Advanced Course in 1927 and the Command and General Staff School in 1932. After graduating from the Army War College in 1935, Wilbur was promoted to lieutenant colonel. From 1935 to 1938, Wilbur served in Hawaii, where he commanded the 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry for two years. Promoted to colonel in November 1940, he commanded the 60th Infantry Regiment from 1941 to 1942. On November 8, 1942, Wilbur participated in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. He served on the staff of Major General George S. Patton as part of the Western Task Force, charged with capturing the city of Casablanca, Morocco, from the Vichy French forces. Several American officers, including Wilbur, were chosen to carry messages to French commanders who were believed to be sympathetic towards the Allies. Wilbur was to contact Admiral François Michelier, commander of the French naval forces in Casablanca, and deliver to him a letter from General Patton. The Allies hoped to gain assistance from these French commanders, or at least convince them to lay down their arms and not oppose the invasion. After landing with the first assault wave in Fedala, Wilbur approached the French lines under a white flag of truce and was escorted to their division headquarters. Finding that his intermediate contact there had been arrested for treason, he