Hines, John Leonard, GEN

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.
 

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.
 

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.