Doyle Overton Hickey (July 27, 1892 – October 20, 1961) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, finishing his military career as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Early life

Hickey was born in

Rector, Arkansas Rector is a city in southeast Clay County, Arkansas, Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Rector is named after Governor of Arkansas, Governor Henry Massey Rector (1 ...

on July 27, 1892, the son of John B. and Genie (Crews) Hickey. Hickey was educated in Camden, and graduated from Camden High School in 1909. He was a 1903 graduate of

Hendrix College Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a stude ...

, after which studied law with a local attorney. Hickey worked at a

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

lumber company until deciding to enlist for

World War I

He joined the Army, attended Officer Candidate School at Leon Springs,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and in 1917 was commissioned as a

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 ...

in the

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. Hickey was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division and served in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

until the end of the war.

Post-World War I

After the war, Hickey continued his Army career, attending the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and graduating from the

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

in 1936. In the early 1930s, he served with the 7th Field Artillery Regiment at

Madison Barracks File:Madison Barracks.jpg File:Madison Barracks02.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower 02.jpg Madison Barracks was a military installation established in 1813 or 1815 at Sackets Harbor that was built for occ ...

, New York, afterwards being assigned to duty as Director of the

United States Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Servic ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

From 1938 to 1940, he served in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and from 1940 to 1941 he commanded the 9th Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In 1941, he was assigned as executive officer of the Field Artillery Replacement Center.

World War II

In 1942, Hickey joined the 3rd Armored Division during its

training in southern California, assuming command of Combat Command A and receiving promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He assumed command of 3rd Armored Division after the death of Major General

Maurice Rose Maurice Rose (November 26, 1899 – March 30, 1945) was a career officer in the United States Army who attained the rank of major general. A veteran of World War I and World War II, Rose was commanding the 3rd Armored Division when he was kille ...

in March 1945, and was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. The 3rd Armored had taken part in combat during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, and after Hickey assumed command the division continued to fight, taking the city of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

in March and crossing the

Saale River The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...

. On April 11, the 3rd Armored discovered the

Dora-Mittelbau Mittelbau-Dora (also Dora-Mittelbau and Nordhausen-Dora) was a Nazi concentration camp located near Nordhausen in Thuringia, Germany. It was established in late summer 1943 as a subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp, supplying slave labour f ...

concentration camp. After World War II, the division carried out occupation duty near Langen, and was inactivated in November 1945. Hickey then served as Chief of the Research and Development Division for Headquarters,

Army Ground Forces The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the large ...

, in Washington, D.C.

Korean War

Hickey served as deputy chief of staff and the ''de facto'' chief for the Far East Command in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

during

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

's command. In 1951, Hickey was officially assigned as chief of staff, receiving promotion to lieutenant general. He served under MacArthur's successors,

Matthew Ridgway General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...

and Mark Clark, and played an important role in the planning and execution of operations during the

Awards

General Hickey's decorations included two awards of the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

, four of the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, the Legion of Merit and the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Later career

General Hickey retired from the military in 1953, and became an executive with the Continental Motors Corporation. In his later years, he resided in Pass Christian, Mississippi.

Death and burial

Hickey died at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in Jefferson, Louisiana on October 20, 1961. He was buried at Live Oak Cemetery in Pass Christian.

Family

On April 30, 1917, Hickey married Sophronia Purdue Brown of Indianola, Mississippi. They had no children.

References

Sources

Books

* * * * *

Newspapers

Additional sources

* Normandy to victory: the war diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army, William C. Sylvan and John T. Greenwood, edited by John T. Greenwood, 2008, end note 58, page 409 * U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1922 page 600 * Newspaper article, Captain Hickey Transferred, Syracuse Herald, April 6, 1932 * Hearing Record, District of Columbia Appropriations, United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, 1933, page 57 * Spearhead in the West, 1941-45: the Third Armored Division, Frank Woolner, Murray H. Fowler, 1945, pages 6 to 8 * Military Affairs: Journal of the American Military Institute, 1945, Volumes 9 to 11, page 36 * A Dark and Bloody ground: the Hurtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945, Edward G. Miller, 1995, page 214 * US Armored Divisions: the European Theater of Operations, 1944–45, Steven J. Zaloga, 2004, page 78 * Battle of the Ruhr Pocket, Charles Whiting, 1971, page 66 * Newspaper article, General Hickey Named Deputy Chief of Staff, Pacific Stars and Stripes, February 17, 1949 * Newspaper article, General Hickey to Retire After 35 Years in Army, New York Times, March 27, 1953 * The Korean War: a Historical Dictionary, Paul M. Edwards, 2003, page 102 * Encyclopedia of the Korean War: a Political, Social, and Military History, Spencer Tucker, Jinwung Kim, 2000, Volume 3, page 247 * Military Times, Hall of Heroes, Index of Recipients of Major Military Awards, https://web.archive.org/web/20100103174921/http://homeofheroes.com/verify/recipients_he.html * Newspaper article, Clark Adds Cluster to Hickey's DSM at Farewell Rites, Pacific Stars and Stripes, April 30, 1953 * Skyways for Business, National Business Aircraft Association, 1955, page 5 * Newspaper article, General Hickey, Army Commander: Aide to MacArthur Dies—Led 3d Armored Division, New York Times, October 21, 1961 * Newspaper article, Obituary, D.O. Hickey, Delta (Mississippi) Democrat-Times, October 22, 1961
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Doyle Overton 1892 births 1961 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Military personnel from Arkansas United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Rector, Arkansas Hendrix College alumni United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals