Peter Conover Hains III (May 11, 1901 – July 3, 1998) was an American Army cavalry officer and major general who competed in the 1928 Olympic games in the modern pentathlon.[1] Hains graduated from West Point in 1924, where he ranked 162nd out of 405 in his class.[2] Hains' family had a long legacy of military service, with his great grandfather, grandfather, and uncle all serving as high-ranking military officers.[2] Hains' father Peter Hains was involved in an infamous murder scandal in New York City in 1909.[3]

Peter C. Hains III
At West Point in 1924
Born(1901-05-11)May 11, 1901
Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 1998(1998-07-03) (aged 97)
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1924–1961
RankMajor general
Battles / warsWorld War II
Korean War
AwardsSilver Star
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medals
Army Commendation Medal
Purple Heart
RelationsPeter Hains (father)
Thornton Jenkins Hains (uncle)
Peter Conover Hains (grandfather)

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.

Grave at Arlington National Cemetery

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, three Legions of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal[4] and the Order of Suvorov Second Class from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.[5]

He died at Fort Belvoir, Virginia on July 3, 1998, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[4][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Peter Hains Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Special Collections: Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, 1930, Vol 7" (PDF). United States Military Academy Library. 1930. pp. 1855–1856. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  3. ^ Appel, Jacob M. (August 10, 2008). "Murder at the Regatta". The New York Times. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Burial Detail: Hains, Peter Conover". ANC Explorer.
  5. ^ Empric, Bruce E. (2024), Uncommon Allies: U.S. Army Recipients of Soviet Military Decorations in World War II, Teufelsberg Press, p. 52, ISBN 979-8-3444-6807-5
  6. ^ "Peter C. Hains III, former Pentagon official". The Indianapolis Star. Washington. Associated Press. July 11, 1998. p. 22. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.