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Contact Info
Home Town White Sulphur Springs
Last Address Washington, DC
Date of Passing Oct 13, 1968
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
This is to Certify that
The President of the United States of America
Takes Pride in Presenting
THE
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS
to
HINES, JOHN L. Brigadier General, U.S. Army
1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Division, A.E.F.
Date of Action: July 21, 1918 Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John L. Hines, Brigadier General, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Berzy-le- Sec, France, July 21, 1918. At a critical time during the battle southwest of Soissons, when liaison had been broken between the 16th Infantry and 26th Infantry, and repeated efforts to reestablish it had failed, General Hines, then in command of the 1st Infantry Brigade, personally went through terrific artillery fire to the front lines of the 16th Infantry, located its left flank, and, walking in front of the lines, encouraged the troops by his example of fearlessness and disregard of danger. He then succeeded in finding the right forward elements of the 26th Infantry and directed the linking up of the two regiments, thereby enabling the operations to be pushed forward successfully.
General Orders No. No. 10, W.D., 1920
John Leonard Hines (May 21, 1868–October 13, 1968) was an American soldier who served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1924 to 1926. He retired in 1932, and in 1940 he was advanced to the rank of full General on the retired list.
Biography
Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Hines graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry on June 12, 1895. His first assignment was to the 2nd Infantry Regiment. Hines served with the regiment in Nebraska and Montana from 1891 to 1898 where he married Harriet Schofield "Rita" Wherry, one of the daughters of Brigadier General William M. Wherry and Alice Grammer.
Hines served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War. He was adjutant of the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916-17 under General John J. Pershing.
During World War I, Hines experienced a meteoric rise in rank as he was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel in May 1917, then to colonel, brigadier general, and, in August 1918, to major general—four grades in 16 months. He assumed successively larger commands—from regiment to brigade, division, and finally, corps.
Hines commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, from May to August 1918 during which Hines time he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest U.S. Army decoration for valor, for "extraordinary heroism in action near Berzy-le-Sec, France, July 21, 1918."
On August 16, 1918, Hines took command of 4th Division. Hines commanded the 4th ID during the American operations at St. Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne until October 11, 1918. Hines then took command of III Corps, leading it during the final engagements of the war and the occupation of Germany.
His post-war commands included the 5th Division, the 2nd Division and the VIII Corps Area.
In December 1922, he was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, and became Army Chief of Staff on September 14, 1924. His Army biography states that as Chief of Staff, he "stressed the need for balance in funding and personnel for all parts of the permanent establishment, pointed up the effects of strength deficiencies upon Army capability to meet the provisions of the National Defense Act of 1920, and urged action on housing and promotions to promote personnel retention."
On May 7, 1925 Hines dedicated the landing field at the Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver, Washington to the memory of Lieutenant Alexander Pearson, Jr. who was killed on September 2, 1924 in Fairfield, Ohio while flying the Curtiss R-8 in preparation for the upcoming Pulitzer Trophy Race.
In 1926, after completing his tour as Army Chief of Staff, Hines took command of the IX Corps Area in California, which he led until 1930. In 1930, Hines became commanding general of the Department of the Philippines. He retired in May 1932.
Hines died in Washington, DC, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center at age 100. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The only American generals to have celebrated their 100th birthdays are John L. Hines, James Alward Van Fleet, and William Glascow as of 2006.
Family and Legacy
On May 5, 2000, the United States Postal Service issued the Distinguished Soldiers stamps in which Hines was honored.
Hines' son, Col. John L. Hines, Jr. (1905–1986), served in World War Two with the 6th Armored Division, commanding the division's Combat Command A from November 1944 to March 1945. He was twice decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and was severely wounded outside Frankfurt, Germany when an 88mm antitank shell grazed his face.
Other Comments:
Awards and Decorations:
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (UK) Commandeur Légion d'honneur (France) Croix de guerre (France) Commander Order of Léopold (Belgium) Order of the Crown (Italy) Medal of Solidarity, 1918 (Panama)
John Leonard Hines (May 21, 1868-October 13, 1968) was an American soldier, who served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1924 to 1926.
With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, he volunteered for combat duty and was awarded the Silver Star.
In 1900, Hines was promoted to Captain and served against the Moros in the Philippine Insurrection. Promoted to Major, he served with General John J. Pershing as adjutant general of the 1916 Mexican expedition in pursuit of Pancho Villa.
Following the U.S. entry in World War I, Hines became assistant adjutant general of the American Expeditionary Force in France.
Promoted to Colonel, he took command of the 16th Infantry Regiment in November, 1917. Shortly thereafter, Hines led a brigade of the First Division at the Battle of Soissons and the Second Battle of the Marne.
For "extraordinary heroism in action," he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In August, 1918, Hines was promoted to Major General, commanding the Fourth Infantry Division during the American operations at St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. Near the end of the war, Hines led the Third Army Corps during the occupation of the Rhineland. Hines was the only American officer during World War I to command successively in battle a regiment, brigade, division and corps.
In September 1924, he succeeded General Pershing as Chief of Staff of the Army. Hines retired in May, 1932, and was promoted to general in June, 1940. Hines died on October 13, 1968, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Mexican Service Campaign (1911-1919)
From Month/Year
April / 1911
To Month/Year
June / 1919
Description The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917. The Mexican Service Medal recognizes those service members who performed military service against Mexican forces between the dates of April 12, 1911 and June 16, 1919.
To be awarded the Mexican Service Medal, a service member was required to perform military duty during the time period of eligibility and in one of the following military engagements.
Veracruz Expedition: April 21 to November 23, 1914
Punitive Expedition into Mexico: March 14, 1916 to February 7, 1917
Buena Vista, Mexico: December 1, 1917
San Bernardino Canyon, Mexico: December 26, 1917
La Grulla, Texas: January 8 – January 9, 1918
Pilares, Chihuahua: March 28, 1918
Nogales, Arizona: November 1–26, 1915, or August 27, 1918
El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua: June 15 – June 16, 1919
The United States Navy issued the Mexican Service Medal to members of the Navy and Marines who participated in any of the above actions, as well as to service members who served aboard U.S. naval vessels patrolling Mexican waters between April 21 and November 26, 1914, or between March 14, 1916, and February 7, 1917.
The Mexican Service Medal was also awarded to any service member who was wounded or killed while participating in action any against hostile Mexican forces between April 12, 1911 and February 7, 1917.
Although a single decoration, both the Army and Navy issued two different versions of the Mexican Service Medal. The Army Mexican Service Medal displayed an engraving of a yucca plant, while the Navy version depicts the San Juan de Ulúa fortress in Veracruz harbor. Both medals displayed the annotation "1911 - 1917" on the bottom of the medal.
The Mexican Service Medal was a one time decoration and there were no service stars authorized for those who had participated in multiple engagements. For those Army members who had been cited for gallantry in combat, the Citation Star was authorized as a device to the Mexican Service Medal. There were no devices authorized for the Navy's version of the decoration.
A similar decoration, known as the Mexican Border Service Medal also existed for those who had performed support duty to Mexican combat expeditions from within the United States.