Peter Conover Hains III (May 11, 1901 – July 3, 1998) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and major general who competed in the 1928 Olympic games in the

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

. Hains graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1924, where he ranked 162nd out of 405 in his class. Hains' family had a long legacy of military service, with his great-grandfather, grandfather, and uncle all serving as high-ranking military officers. Hains' father

Peter Hains Peter Conover Hains Jr. (January 9, 1872 – February 5, 1955) was a United States Army Captain (United States O-3), captain convicted of killing his wife's lover. The case became a sensational murder trial in New York City in 1908. He was the so ...

was involved in an infamous murder scandal in New York City in 1909. General Hains served as commander of the First Armored Regiment in North Africa during the war. He was also armored adviser for the European invasion and then was assigned to the Pacific to help plan an invasion of Japan. ANCExplorer Peter C

After the war, he was assigned to Washington as deputy director of the office of the secretary of defense. General Hains was later deputy commanding general of the Second Army, chief of the military assistance advisory group in Yugoslavia, chief of staff of the Fourth Army and chief of the military advisory group in Thailand. His honors included the Distinguished Service Medal,

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

, three

Legions of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

, two

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

s, a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

and the Order of Suvorov Second Class from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He died at

Fort Belvoir, Virginia A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

on July 3, 1998, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

References

1901 births 1998 deaths People from Winthrop, Massachusetts United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Modern pentathletes at the 1928 Summer Olympics Olympic modern pentathletes for the United States American male modern pentathletes Sportspeople from Suffolk County, Massachusetts Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from Massachusetts 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-modern-pentathlon-bio-stub

See also

References