William R. Peers
William R. Peers | |
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Born | Stuart, Iowa, U.S. | June 14, 1914
Died | 6 April 1984 San Francisco, California, U.S. | (aged 69)
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 a
Biography
Peers, often referred to by his middle name "Ray" by close associates, was born in Stuart, Iowa in 1914[1] and raised in Covina, California. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he was president of the Sigma Pi fraternity chapter and was a member of the Bruins' football, wrestling, and rugby teams. He was also a member of Blue Key and a captain in the ROTC He 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 the
When the United States entered
After World War II, Peers joined the
Upon his return from China, he attended the prestigious Army 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 the Vietnam 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 the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In January 1967, as a
In 1969, Peers was ordered by
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 a
Books published
- Peers, William R. and Dean 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. ISBN 978-0029122303
- Peers, William R. (1970). Robert E. Lester, ed. The Peers inquiry of the massacre at My Lai. Bethesda, MD: University Publications of America, 1996. ISBN 978-1556556609
- Peers, William R. My Lai Inquiry. W W Norton & Co Inc., 1979. ISBN 978-0393011845
In popular culture
- Pinkville to feature Bruce Willisas William Peers. This film project was cancelled.
See also
- Peers, William R. Central Intelligence Agency. Intelligence Operations of OSS Detachment 101. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
References
- ^ Biography of General William R. Peers
- ^ a b Edmunds, Waldo (November 1949). "Distinguished Army Officer: Colonel William Ray Peers" (PDF). The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 36, no. 3. pp. 160–161. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- ^ 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). Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Hugh (2003). Moral Courage In Combat: The My Lai Story (PDF) (Speech). William C. Stutt Ethics Lecture. Annapolis, MD. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ New York Times obituary