Benjamin Lear (May 12, 1879 – November 1, 1966) was a United States Army general who served in the Spanish–American War, Philippine Insurrection, World War I and World War II. He also competed at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

Early career

Ben Lear was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on May 12, 1879. His military service began in 1898, when he enlisted with the 1st Colorado Infantry, USV, for the Spanish–American War as a first sergeant. He was promoted to

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

in the 1st Colorado and later in the 36th Infantry, USV, then joined the regular army as a sergeant at the end of the war. He subsequently served in World War I. 1912OG-eventing-USA-team

He was a 1912 Olympian, part of the equestrian team which won the bronze medal in the three-day team event. Lear graduated from the Army School of the Line in 1922, the Army General Staff School in 1923, and the Army War College in 1926. He was promoted to brigadier general in May 1936 and major general in October 1938. He commanded the 1st Cavalry Division from 1936 to 1938, and the Pacific Sector of the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

from 1938 to 1940.

World War II

Stateside duty

Lear was promoted to lieutenant general in October 1940 and was commanding general of

U.S. Second Army Second Army was most recently located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a Direct Reporting Unit to Headquarters U.S. Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6. Under the CIO/G-6, Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions an ...

from October 20, 1940 to April 25, 1943. As such, he was responsible for training a large number of U.S. soldiers during World War II. He became known as a strict disciplinarian. It was in the lead-up to these maneuvers that Lear acquired the nickname "Yoo-Hoo". Lear was playing golf at the country club in Memphis, Tennessee, in civilian clothes on July 6, 1941, when a convoy of 80 U.S. Army trucks carrying men of the 110th Quartermaster Regiment, 35th Division rolled past. The troops in the passing trucks subjected a group of women in shorts to a series of whistles and "lewd and obscene" catcalls. Lear had the convoy stopped, and told the officers that this conduct was unacceptable and they had disgraced the Army. Lear's punishment was to make every one of the 350 men in the convoy march of the trip back to

Camp Joseph T. Robinson Robinson Maneuver Training Center (Camp Robinson) a facility located at North Little Rock, Arkansas, which houses the Joint Forces Headquarters, Arkansas National Guard, the Headquarters, Arkansas Air National Guard, Headquarters, 77th Combat Avi ...

, Arkansas in three 5-mile sections. This they did in the heat. Many men straggled and a number collapsed. There was storm of public criticism of Lear's action from people who felt that the soldiers had been harshly and collectively punished when many had done nothing wrong. The commander of the 35th Division, Major General

Ralph E. Truman Ralph Emerson Truman (May 10, 1880 – April 30, 1962) was an American major general who led the 35th Division of the Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska National Guards between 1938 and 1941. In addition to World War II, he served in the ...

, was well-connected politically, his cousin being Senator

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, and some congressmen called for Lear to be retired. However, to Army eyes this was not a case of sexual harassment but of indiscipline, and no action was taken against Lear. The derogatory nickname "Yoo-Hoo" stuck. During the

Louisiana Maneuvers The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of major U.S. Army exercises held in 1941 in northern and west-central Louisiana, an area bounded by the Sabine River to the west, the Calcasieu River to the east, and by the city of Shreveport to the nort ...

, Lear led his

against the U.S. Third Army under Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. In these maneuvers, Lear judged the control and discipline of the 35th Division to be unsatisfactory, and relieved Truman of his command. Lear continued in command of Second Army until he was relieved by Lieutenant General Lloyd Fredendall in April 1943.

Retirement and recall to active duty

Lear was administratively retired in May 1943, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64, but was immediately recalled to active duty to serve on the Personnel Board of the Secretary of War, and promoted to lieutenant general. He became Commanding General of Army Ground Forces on 14 July 1944 when Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, his predecessor, was killed in Normandy on 25 July 1944. After the German counter-attack in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

caused a manpower crisis, in January 1945 he was appointed deputy commander of

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

, US Army, responsible for theater manpower. As such, he overhauled the replacement system, but the war against Germany ended before the full benefits of his reforms could be realized.

Retirement

Lear fully retired from the army in July 1945 and was promoted to general on 19 July 1954, by special act of Congress (Public Law 83-508). He settled in Memphis, Tennessee after retirement. He died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

, on 1 November 1966, and was buried on 3 November 1966 in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 4, Grave 2690.Burial Detail: Lear, Ben
– ANC Explorer. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

Decorations and medals

Promotions

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lear, Ben 1879 births 1966 deaths Canadian military personnel from Ontario American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star American male equestrians Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in equestrian Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics American event riders Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals People from Memphis, Tennessee Burials at Arlington National Cemetery