Price Hays

Lieutenant General George Price Hays was born in Chefoo, China, where both his parents and maternal grandparents were long-term missionaries, it was when our honoree was nine years old, his family returned to the United States, and his father became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in EI Reno. After graduating from EI Reno High School and Oklahoma A&M College, he volunteered for military service shortly after our nation entered World War I, and soon afterwards earned the commission of Second Lieutenant. It was in this war that, for unbelievable heroism in action, while establishing communication between units, and having seven horses shot out from under him, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Among his duties between World War I and II, he taught military science and tactics at Cornell University and served in many capacities at Fort Sill and other bases in the United States as well as the Philippine Islands. He organized and commanded the 99th Field Artillery Pack from 1940, until shortly before World War II, when he went to Operations Division of the War Department and from there to the Army's General Headquarters, where he was the Operations and Training officer.

He later joined the Second Infantry Division as Commanding General of the Division Artillery. Then later took command of the Tenth Mountain Infantry Division and led it overseas into action in Italy. Following his second war, he served in several occupation and military government positions, finally retiring as a three star general and as the deputy military governor for the US Occupation Zone in Germany.