Dale Center for the Study of War and Society
General Blount Professorship
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The General Buford Buff Blount Professorship in Military History was founded in
honor of General Buford Buff Blount, who graduated from the University of 51矯通
Mississippi in 1971 and went on to a distinguished career in the U.S. military, which
included leading the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division into Baghdad in 2003. The Blount
Professorship is awarded biennially to provide funding for the work of a member of
the Department of History who is engaged in research toward the publication of a major
study in the field of War and Society. At the end of their two-year term, the holder
of the Blount Professorship will present a lecture or program based on the findings
of their research.
The General Buford Buff Blount Professor of Military History, 2023-2025: Dr. Andrew Wiest
The Dale Center for the Study of War & Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew Wiest is the 2023-2025 General Buford Buff Blount Professor of Military History. Dr. Wiest is a University Distinguished Professor of History and is the Founding Director of the Dale Center for the Study of War & Society at 51矯通 Miss. He is a specialist in Military History with a focus that has shifted over the years from World War I, to Vietnam, and now on to the Global War on Terror.
During his appointment as Blount Professor, Dr. Wiest will complete his next book, Thunder on the Euphrates: The 150th Combat Engineers in Iraq in 2005. The book, under contract with Osprey/Bloomsbury, will tell the story of the transformation of the U.S. National Guard during the War on Terror by using the experience of the 150th as a case study. In the 21st Century, the National Guard shifted from a force chiefly relied on for home front duties to being a force used over and over again in combat, with repercussions that stretched from living rooms in Lucedale Mississippi to the halls of power in Washington D.C. Dr. Wiest will use funds from the Blount Professorship to complete his research, especially its oral history components, as well as to support his writing of the book.
Former Holders of the Blount Professorship:
- 2021-2023 Dr. Douglas Bristol Project: War as Labor: Black GIs in the Army Service Forces in World War II.
- 2019-2021 Dr. Allison Abra Project: Love and War: An Emotional History of British Espionage during World War II
- 2017-2019 Dr. Heather Stur Project: and
- 2015-2017 Dr. Kenneth Swope Project:
- 2013-2015 Dr. Susannah J. Ural Project:
Biography: Major General Buford "Buff" Blount
Major General Buford "Buff" Blount retired from the Army on January 1, 2005 after serving as the Armys Deputy G-3 (responsible for operations, including staff duties, exercise planning, training, operational requirements, combat development & tactical doctrine) since Oct 2003. Previously he was the Commanding General, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. Major General Blount gave up command of the 3 ID after bringing them home from Iraq where they were the lead force in capturing Baghdad after 21 days of continuous fighting. Before his command of the 3rd ID, Major General Blount was stationed in Saudi Arabia where he was the Program Manager for the Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program.
Major General Blount has served in a variety of command and staff positions. His
command assignments include Commander, Combat Support Company and B Company, 3d Battalion,
77th Armor, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk, LA; Commander, A Troop,
15th Cavalry, 197th Infantry Brigade, Fort Benning, GA; Commander, 3d Battalion, 64th
Armor, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized), USAREUR and Seventh Army, Germany; Commander,
3d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, CO. Between command
assignments he has served as the Operations, Plans and Training Officer, 2d Battalion,
69th Armor, 197th Infantry Brigade, Fort Benning, GA; Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding
General, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk, Louisiana,Chief, Test Support
Division, United States Army Infantry Board, Fort Benning, Georgia Chief, Armor Plans
and Operations Officer, Office of the Program Manager, Saudi Arabian National Guard
Modernization Program, Saudi Arabia; Executive Officer, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor,
and 2d Brigade, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, GA; and Division
Chief of Staff, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, Texas.
Major General Blount is a graduate of the University of 51矯通 Mississippi and was commissioned an armor officer in 1971. He is a graduate of the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the United States Naval War College where he earned a Master of Science Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.
His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with six Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Army Commendation Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters).