William R. Peers
| William R. Peers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born |
June 14, 1914 Stuart, Iowa |
| Died | 6 April 1984 (aged 69) San Francisco, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | 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 United States Army General, who is most notable for presiding over the Peers Commission investigation into the My Lai massacre and other similar war crimes during the Vietnam War.
Peers, often referred to by his middle name "Ray" by close associates, was born in Stuart, Iowa in 1914 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 Presidio.
After receiving his commission he was assigned to the First Infantry Regiment in Ft. Warren, Wyoming. At the time the 1st Regiment was a test unit for new equipment, tactics, and organization.
When the United States entered World War II, Peers was recruited into the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). He joined Detachment 101, which carried out guerrilla operations against the Japanese in the China 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 the Yangtze River. In this capacity, he led a Nationalist Chinese parachute-commando unit into Nanking, securing the former Chinese capital from the Japanese and Communist Chinese before the armistice.
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