Upon graduation from Berea College, Atwater was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Marines. He commanded a rifle platoon and later a company in the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during the Vietnam War where he received the Purple Heart, a Navy Commendation Medal, and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In a 2007 interview with the television documentary Weaponology, he recounted how his company were trapped in a "hot" LZ until rescued by a flight of AH-1 Cobra gunships.[2] Promoted to captain, he served all over the world [vague][where?] in various assignments and attended numerous military schools during a ten-year career in the Marine Corps. In 1985, after earning his Doctorate from Duke, William Atwater assumed the directorship of the 101st Airborne/Air Assault Divisional Museum at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, a position he held until 1989.[1] From 1989 to November, 2007, he served as Director of the United States Army Ordnance Museum, then located at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.[1] While Director at the Ordnance Museum he was instrumental in the refurbishment and rebuilding of large artifacts like tanks and artillery to meet EPA standards, and the construction of a climate-controlled warehouse to store the museum's collection of small arms.[1] In addition to his work for the museum, William Atwater was often called upon as a guest lecturer and speaker at West Point Military Academy, the Defense Intelligence College, National Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency.[1]
Atwater speaking at the dedication of a new Army Ordnance Corps parade ground in 2012
Atwater has served as a contributor to several books, including the Oxford Companion to American Military History (2000) on the topic of grenades, mortars, and land mines.[3] He also served as a technical advisor for the book Black Hawk Down.[4] Atwater has appeared as a firearms and ordnance expert in many documentaries regarding military history on such television channels as The History Channel, TLC, Discovery Channel, and The Military Channel. One of Atwater's recent projects is preserving some of the last remaining historic military assets in the world. Atwater said of the Ordnance Museum Foundation that "It is our moral and legal responsibility to preserve military assets".[5]
Awards
In addition to his previously noted military honors, Atwater’s civilian awards include:
