Oliver W. Dillard

Dillard, Oliver W. June 16, 2015, age 88 of Canton. Loving husband of Helen. Beloved father of Oliver Jr. (Jo), Stephen (Trina), Dennis (Jan), and Diane (Lonnie) Broadnax. Born in Margaret, Alabama to the union of Stonewall Jackson Dillard and Josiephine Williams. He was the youngest of 4 children. He was predeceased by his three siblings, Pauline (Charles) Kidd, Stonewall Jackson Dillard Jr, and Vivian Edwards. Proud Grandfather of Nathan, Ellen, Stephana, Nicholas and Anthony Dillard, and Jasmine and Anika Broadnax. Visitation Saturday 3 PM until the Saturday 6 PM funeral service at Vermeulen-Sajewski Funeral Home, 46401 West Ann Arbor Road (between Sheldon and Beck) Plymouth. Mr. Dillard retired in 1980 from military service-US Army as a Major General, after 34 years of service. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. Oliver Williams Dillard, Sr. was a retired United States Army major general, the fifth black officer in the U.S. Army to attain flag rank. He is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and Fort Benning, Georgia respectively. General Dillard became the first black graduate of the National War College in 1965. He also served as the first black general officer in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the last J2 (Senior Intelligence Officer) for the U.S. Military Assistance Command – Vietnam, the first U.S. Army Forces Command Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, and the first black Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence for the U.S. Army Europe. General Dillard retired from the U.S. Army in 1980, after a career spanning 34 years. On June 1, 2011, Dillard was awarded the Military Intelligence Corps Association's LTC Thomas W. Knowlton Award for Excellence in Intelligence, commemorating his significant role in Army Military Intelligence history, beginning in 1950. General Dillard was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame on May 4, 2012. On September 14, 2012, he was inducted into the Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, becoming the 226th recipient of this honor. A recently instituted award, "The MG Oliver W. Dillard Award", honors the most outstanding company-size military intelligence unit assigned to a Battalion, each fiscal year. As a decorated Battalion S2 in Korea and FORSCOM'S first Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (G2) in 1973, Dillard promoted the use of intelligence at the tactical level and this award is bestowed to the honored unit that symbolizes his professionalism, dedication, and esprit de corps. The recipient of the inaugural MG Oliver W. Dillard Award for 2014 was designated to the 66th Military Intelligence Company, 3d Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas under the leadership of Captain Eleanor Baldenweck, and Sergeant First Class Centoria Young. To leave a message for the family, please use the View and Send Condolences tab on this webpage.

Oliver W. Dillard

September 28, 1926 - June 16, 2015