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<em><em>Sidney Rue Hinds</em> </em>was born May 14, 1900 in Newton IL, the son of Daniel C. and Elizabeth Hinds, the eldest brother of Sybil, Bruce, Helene, Frances and Dan Hinds. During high school in Wahpeton, ND, Sid, always the athlete, played foot­ball and baseball, and, always loving music, played coronet in school and with the Sioux Indian bands. Money always a problem, so Sid started work at 16 as a railroad brake- man for two dollars a week and was pro­moted to guard, fending off strikers with a rifle and threatening to shoot them if they tried anything.</p>
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Few in Wahpeton had heard of West Point, so Sid had no trouble getting an appointment in 1918 from 27-year-old Congressman John M. Baer, who remained his friend for 30 years, although they nev­er met. A direct quote from Sid’s journal: “WWI years were hectic at the Academy. Pandemonium broke out in the mess hall when the order was read that the two up­per classes would graduate on Nov 1st and be sent immediately to France, and the yearlings would graduate in the spring of 1919 and follow. The unexpected Armistice intervened, the plebes became second classmen and the yearlings graduated in 1919.” GEN Douglas MacArthur was the Superintendent, GEN John J. Pershing gave the graduation address, and Sid was commissioned into the infantry in June. The class of 1920 produced 49 general of­ficers, perhaps because most of them, like Sid, were lieutenants for 15 years.</p>
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During assignments at Ft. Benning, GA, Ft. Russell, WY, and Ft. Snelling, MN, Sid became an expert marksman and went to Peru with GEN Pershing and the Army Rifle team in 1924; he held the Pan-American Rifle Championship for 18 years. His next stop was the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. The day before competing, a Belgian dropped his gun and shot Dad in the foot, which caused enormous conster­nation diplomatically and caused Dad to doubt he could compete the next day. But the coach said, “You’re up first, Sid. Dad shot a perfect score, the team won the gold medal, and the coach said, “Sid, the next time we compete, I’m going to shoot you in the other foot.” During many years on the Army Rifle team, Sid won President’s 100 tab, Distinguished Pistol and Rifle badges and scores of other medals, several hundred of which are in the Museum at Ft. Benning.</p>
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An assignment in Hawaii began a long association with and love of the islands, principally with his lovely wife Regina Christoffersen, whom he married in 1928. Gina was the women’s champion tennis player of the Territory, and he always said he married her to keep her around un­til he could beat her at tennis. An inter­lude followed at Ft. Meade, where Sidney Hinds, Jr. ’50 was born and then it was back to Honolulu as Professor of Military Science & Tactics at Kamehameha Boy’s School. Sid and Baine Beauchamp took 15 Hawaiian boys to the Canadian Arctic, fol­lowing the McKenzie and Rat Rivers on flat boats, to explore unmapped territory. They got lost on the tributaries and were AWOL for two months, surviving on caribou and fish. Another favorite story involved taking small tanks across the Kole Kole Pass, us­ing a broomstick on a lead motorcycle to see if it could go through without falling over the precipice. During this time, Martha Leilani was born, who later married “Skip” MacDonald ’55.</p>
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After assignments at Vancouver Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth, and Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Sid and family went to Ft. Benning to join GEN Patton’s 2nd Armored Division. With Sid commanding the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, the division invaded Africa in August, 1942, continued through Sicily, sailed to England to await the invasion of France, and fought all the way to Berlin, becoming the first troops to enter the city. There were several interesting stories. The 41st led a pincer movement in accord with COL (later MG) John C. Macdonald (whose son married Sid’s daughter) in the Battle of the Bulge. Sid was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, four Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars, was wounded, patched up, awarded the Purple Heart and many foreign med­als, and promoted to brigadier general leading a combat command. Sid’s German-American aide talked the town of Ahlen into surrendering, and they later dedicated a park to GEN Hinds. The 2nd Armored crossed the Elbe, were ordered back to al­low the Russians to enter Berlin first, and re-crossed the Elbe to make their official entry into Berlin.</p>
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After retiring in 1947, Sid worked for 20 years, most notability with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, resettling displaced persons in Europe, then restoring war-torn South Korea with UNKRA. He then went to India for Colt to present the M-16 to the Indian Army, also doing work for the CIA. Sid and Gina retired to Falls Church, VA, where he played tennis until he was 85, wrote to his numerous friends worldwide, rode his bicycle everywhere in his lederhosen, and enjoyed his ten grand­children. Sid and Gina moved for an inter­im to Hawaii, then to San Antonio, where he died right after their 63rd anniversary.</p>
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His eulogy described him as ‘the great oak’ of the family, all the rest of us being lesser branches; he was always the main event. Dad was a man of enormous dedica­tion, discipline, hard work, loyalty, adven­ture, humor, generosity and reasonableness. A quote: “GEN Hinds is a composite of all those traits which constitute the kind of a soldier we’d all like to be.” GEN Patton described him as a “fighter,” as opposed to some others in the European offensive. He was a man of great faith in God and referred several times to supernatural guidance that he received on the battlefield. I expect to see him in heaven, organizing some adventure never thought of before.</p>
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<em>—Martha Hinds Macdonald, daughter</em></p>
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