William R. Peers
William R. Peers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 14, 1914 Stuart, Iowa,U.S. |
| Died | 6 April 1984(aged 69) San Francisco,California,U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1973 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | I Field Force, Vietnam 4th Infantry Division OSS Detachment 101 |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War Kuomintang Islamic insurgency Vietnam War |
| Relations | Barbara Peers, wife; Rose Mary Peers, wife; Barbara "Penny" Hicks, daughter; Christina Peers Neely, daughter |
William Ray Peers(June 14, 1914 – April 6, 1984) was aUnited States Armygeneral,who is most notable for presiding over thePeers Commissioninvestigation into theMỹ Lai massacreduring theVietnam War.
Biography
[edit]Peers, often referred to by his middle name "Ray" by close associates, was born inStuart, Iowain 1914[1]and raised inCovina, California.He attended theUniversity of California, Los Angeleswhere he was president of theSigma Pifraternity chapter and was a member of theBruins'football, wrestling, and rugby teams. He was also a member of Blue Key and a captain in theROTCHe graduated with a degree from the College of Education in 1937.
He received a regular Army commission in 1938 after spending a year in the army at thePresidio.[2]After receiving his commission, he was assigned to theFirst Infantry RegimentinFt. Warren, Wyoming.At the time, the 1st Regiment was a test unit for new equipment, tactics, and organization.[2]
When the United States enteredWorld War II,Peers was recruited into theOffice of Strategic Services(OSS). He joinedDetachment 101,which carried out guerrilla operations against the Japanese in theChina India Burma Theater.At first the unit's operations and training officer, he became the unit's commander when its colonel,Carl F. Eifler,was disabled by injuries in 1943. He held that position until 1945, when he became commander of all OSS operations in China south of theYangtze River.In this capacity, he led a Nationalist Chinese parachute-commando unit intoNanking,securing the former Chinese capital from communist Chinese before the armistice.
After World War II, Peers joined theCIA,establishing the agency's first training program. During theKorean War,he directed covert operations byChinese Nationalisttroops into the southern part of thePeople's Republic of Chinafrom secret bases inBurma.
Upon his return from China, he attended the prestigiousArmy War College,and afterward held a series of intelligence and staff positions. With his Asian insurgency warfare expertise, it was inevitable that his career would prosper during theVietnam War.At its beginning, Peers was the assistant deputy chief of staff for special operations. The next year, he became special assistant for counterinsurgency and special activities for theJoint Chiefs of Staff.
In January 1967, as amajor general,he was named the 32nd commanding officer of the4th Infantry Division( "The Ivy Division"). 14 months later, he was promoted tolieutenant general,and commanded the 50,000 American soldiers of the corps-levelI Field Force, Vietnam.[3]Based in the Central Highlands, The I Field Force comprised some of the most aggressive American formations in Vietnam, including the1st Cavalry Division,101st Airborne Divisionand the173rd Airborne Brigade.Peers also coordinated the operations of four South Vietnamese and the two elite South Korean divisions sent as that country's contribution. Under his leadership, allied troops decisively but controversially, defeated Viet Cong guerrillas and NVA regulars in the battles ofDak Toin November 1967, andDuc Lapin August 1968. Two hundred and seventy eight American soldiers were killed taking hill 875 that the NVA eventually evacuated (hill 875, Dak To).
In 1969, Peers was ordered byGeneral Westmorelandto investigate theMỹ Lai Massacre,being selected because of his reputation for fairness and objectivity.[4]In 1970, Peers issued a report on the incident.[5]Hugh Thompsonwho, along with his helicopter crew, were the only soldiers who attempted to stop the massacre, said of the Peers report:
The Army had Lieutenant General William R. Peers conduct the investigation. He conducted a very thorough investigation. Congress did not like his investigation at all, because he pulled no punches, and he recommended court-martial for I think 34 people, not necessarily for the murder but for the cover-up. Really the cover-up phase was probably as bad as the massacre itself, because he recommended court-martial for some very high-ranking individuals.[6]
Peers died at the age of 69 on 6 April 1984, of aheart attackatLetterman Army Medical Centerat thePresidio of San Francisco.[7]
Books published
[edit]- Peers, William R. andDean Brelis.Behind the Burma Road.Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1963.
- Peers, William R., Joseph Goldstein, Burke Marshall, and Jack Schwartz.The My Lai Massacre and Its Cover-Up: Beyond the Reach of Law?: The Peers Commission Report.Free Press, 1976.ISBN978-0029122303
- Peers, William R. (1970). Robert E. Lester, ed.The Peers inquiry of the massacre at My Lai.Bethesda, MD: University Publications of America, 1996.ISBN978-1556556609
- Peers, William R.My Lai Inquiry.W W Norton & Co Inc., 1979.ISBN978-0393011845
In popular culture
[edit]- Oliver Stone's filmPinkvilleto featureBruce Willisas William Peers. This film project was cancelled.
See also
[edit]- Peers, William R. Central Intelligence Agency.Intelligence Operations of OSS Detachment 101.Retrieved 2012-05-28.
References
[edit]- ^Biography of General William R. Peers
- ^abEdmunds, Waldo (November 1949)."Distinguished Army Officer: Colonel William Ray Peers"(PDF).The Emerald of Sigma Pi.Vol. 36, no. 3. pp. 160–161. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-09-29.Retrieved2016-12-06.
- ^Association of I Field Force, IFFV Commanders
- ^Four Hours in My Lai, pp 288-289,1992
- ^Peers, William R.(1970). Lester, Robert E. (ed.).The Peers inquiry of the massacre at My Lai(Report). Bethesda, MD: University Publications of America (published 1996).RetrievedMarch 7,2022.
- ^Thompson, Hugh(2003).Moral Courage In Combat: The My Lai Story(PDF)(Speech). William C. Stutt Ethics Lecture. Annapolis, MD. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 21, 2007.RetrievedMarch 7,2022.
- ^New York Times obituary
