Woerner was a commissioned officer in the
United States Army from 1955 to 1989. He graduated from the
United States Military Academy,
West Point, New York and was commissioned second lieutenant of
Infantry. He qualified as a
parachutist and as a
Ranger. He served as a battalion commander and also as an advisor to the
South Vietnamese
Armed Forces during the
Vietnam War. Woerner pursued a military career divided between traditional infantry assignments and duties associated with
Latin America. He commanded infantry units at platoon, company, battalion, and brigade levels and served on staffs at every echelon up through the United States Army General Staff. Woerner spent a year in study and travel in the northern countries of South America. He advised the
Guatemalan government on the use of military forces in socio-economic development, attended the Uruguayan Military Institute of Superior Studies, served as director of
Latin American studies at the
U.S. Army War College. He served as the commanding general of the
United States Sixth Army from 1986 through 1987, responsible for the readiness for mobilization of all
Army National Guard forces and
U.S. Army Reserve units in the twelve western states. His final position was as commander-in-chief of U.S. Southern Command from 1987 through 1989, responsible for mission performance, training, and welfare of all
Department of the Army personnel in
Central America,
Panama, and
South America. In that position he was the senior U.S. military officer responsible for strategy development and military policy execution in support of U.S. national objectives in Central America, Panama, and South America. He provided leadership to an organization consisting of over 30,000 military and civilian employees, located in 17 countries, and provided for the well being of the employees and their 40,000 family members. After President
George H. W. Bush took office, he removed Woerner for being too sympathetic towards
Manuel Noriega's military regime in Panama, which the Bush administration was planning to
invade. He retired as a general. ==Civilian employment==