Edward Smith Hamilton (March 21, 1917 – June 30, 2006) was an American army officer during
World War II, and later a
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
East Germany and
Turkey.
Hamilton graduated from the
United States Military Academy in 1939. He went ashore at
Normandy two days after
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
in command of a battalion in the 90th Infantry Division. After defending a key bridge, he was awarded 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 ...
on August 5, 1944. On September 8, 1944, he and his troops disabled 4 German tanks and captured 17 soldiers; for his heroism, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross. He lost his left eye two days later in a battle. He was awarded three
Purple Hearts and a
Bronze Star .
In 1950, he began working for the CIA, leading attacks from
Taiwan against the mainland of China. The book ''Raiders of the China Coast'' by Frank Holober describes these adventures. He later performed undercover counterintelligence work in East Germany and Turkey, up to 1959.
France awarded him the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
in 2005. Hamilton died in 2006 in Annandale, VA, of pneumonia.
See also
References
Obituary at Association For Intelligence Officers site
1917 births
2006 deaths
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Army personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army officers
American expatriates in China
American expatriates in East Germany
American expatriates in Turkey
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