John H. Hay

John Hancock Hay Jr. (October 2, 1917 – December 18, 1995) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as commander of the Berlin Brigade, the 1st Infantry Division during the Vietnam War and XVIII Airborne Corps.

John H. Hay
Hay (right) with William Westmoreland, c. 1967
Birth nameJohn Hancock Hay Jr.
Born(1917-10-02)October 2, 1917
Thief River Falls, Minnesota, US
DiedDecember 18, 1995(1995-12-18) (aged 78)
BranchUnited States Army
Service label1938–1973
RankLieutenant general
Commands held
Wars
Awards

Background

Hay was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.[1]

Military career

World War II

Hay served with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy during World War II. He reached the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star and Legion of Merit

Interbellum

Hay served as Commander of the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry Regiment from September 1959 to July 1960 and later as Chief of Staff of the 101st Airborne Division until 1961. In 1962 he served with the Eighth United States Army in South Korea. Hay then commanded the Berlin Brigade from 1964 to 1966.

Vietnam War

Hay was assigned to South Vietnam in January 1967 as Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division and remained in this role until February 1968.[2]

Hay subsequently was promoted to deputy commander of II Field Force, Vietnam and became commander of Capital Military Assistance Command at Camp Lê Văn Duyệt, Saigon and led the defense of Saigon during the May Offensive.[2]:564 He remained in this role until his departure from South Vietnam in August 1968. For his service in Vietnam, and command of the 1st Infantry Division, Hay was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Post-Vietnam

Hay served as commandant of the Command and General Staff College until the end of February 1971,[3] and then commanded, as lieutenant general, the XVIII Airborne Corps from 1 March 1971 until his retirement in May 1973.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

  1. History For Sale-Lt. General John H. Hay
  2. Villard, Erik (2017). United States Army in Vietnam Combat Operations Staying the Course October 1967 to September 1968. Center of Military History United States Army. p. 50-72. ISBN 9780160942808. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "A Military history of the US Army Command and General Staff College 1970–71" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. 1971. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
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