J.H. Binford Peay III | |
|---|---|
 General James Henry Binford Peay III | |
| Nickname | Binnie |
| Born | (1940-05-10)10 May 1940 (age 85) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Service years | 1962–1997 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | United States Central Command Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 101st Airborne Division 2d Battalion,11th Field Artillery Regiment |
| Conflicts | Vietnam War Gulf War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (4) Purple Heart |
| Other work | Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute Chairman, Allied Defense Group Director, BAE Systems Inc. |
James Henry Binford "Binnie"Peay III (born 10 May 1940) is a retired four-stargeneral of theUnited States Army. He served as the 14thsuperintendent of theVirginia Military Institute from 2003 to 2020,[1] and as chairman of the Allied Defense Group from 2001 to 2003. He has also served on various corporate and nonprofit boards.
Peay attained the rank ofEagle Scout in theBoy Scouts of America in 1954 and as an adult is a recipient of theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award.[2] His father, Peay Jr. and both of his sons, Jim and Ryan, are also Eagle Scouts.[3]
Peay graduated from theVirginia Military Institute in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree inCivil Engineering, where he was a quarterback on the football team and is an initiate of the Beta Commission of theKappa Alpha Order; he was the first Kappa Alpha inducted into the Military Division when it was established in 2009. He also has aMaster of Arts fromGeorge Washington University and graduated from theUnited States Army Command and General Staff College in June 1971 and theUnited States Army War College in June 1978.[4][5]
Peay was commissioned as asecond lieutenant ofField Artillery in 1962. His initial troop assignments were in Germany andFort Carson, Colorado. From December 1964 to September 1966, he served as aide-de-camp to the Commanding General,5th Infantry Division. He went on to serve in other assignments, including two tours in theRepublic of Vietnam. In his first tour, from May 1967 to July 1968, he commanded both Headquarters Company,I Field Force, Vietnam, and a firing battery (Battery B, 4th Battalion,42nd Field Artillery Regiment) with the4th Infantry Division in theCentral Highlands. During his second tour from August 1971 to June 1972, he served as the assistant operations officer for the 3d Brigade,1st Cavalry Division, and as operations officer for the same division's 1st Battalion,21st Artillery Regiment.
After serving with theArmy Military Personnel Center in Washington, D.C., as a Field Artillery branch assignments officer, Peay was sent to Hawaii in 1975 to command the 2d Battalion,11th Field Artillery Regiment,25th Infantry Division. Following completion of the Army War College, he returned to Washington, D.C., as Senior Aide to theChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and later as Chief of the Army Initiatives Group in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operation and Plans. He then moved toFort Lewis, Washington, to serve as theI Corps' Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3/Director of Plans and Training, and later became the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) Commander, of the9th Infantry Division. In 1985, he returned to Washington, D.C., as Executive to theChief of Staff of the United States Army. He first became a "Screaming Eagle" in July 1987, when he became the Assistant Division Commander (Operations),101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Beginning in July 1988, he served a one-year assignment as Deputy Commandant, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
On 3 August 1989, Peay returned to Fort Campbell to assume command of the 101st Airborne Division and led the division through OperationsDesert Shield andDesert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Promoted to the rank oflieutenant general, he was the army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, and Senior Army Member, United States Military Committee from June 1991 until March 1993. He was promoted togeneral on March 26, 1993, and appointed as the twenty-fourthVice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. His last active duty position was as Commanding General,United States Central Command, atMacDill Air Force Base, Florida, from 5 August 1994 until 13 August 1997.
Peay's awards and decorations include theDefense Distinguished Service Medal, theArmy Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, theSilver Star, theDefense Superior Service Medal, theLegion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, theBronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and thePurple Heart. He has also received theMeritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, severalAir Medals, and theArmy Commendation Medal. Additionally, he wore theParachutist Badge,Ranger Tab, theAir Assault Badge, theSecretary of Defense Identification Badge,Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, and theArmy General Staff Identification Badge.
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After retirement from the Army, Peay became a director atUnited Defense Industries (UDI) in 1997. In 2005BAE Systems purchased UDI and appointed Peay to the board of its North American subsidiary,BAE Systems Inc. He joined Allied Research Corporation in March 2000 as member of its board of directors. In January 2001, he was made chairman, president and CEO. In 2003, the company was renamed Allied Defense Group.
Peay resigned in June 2003 to assume the position of Superintendent of hisalma mater,Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was inducted intoOmicron Delta Kappa as an alumnus at VMI in 2010.[6]
Peay resigned as Superintendent of VMI on 26 October 2020 after being told that state leaders had lost confidence in his leadership amid claims of ongoing structural racism at VMI. He left the institute on 28 October 2020.[7]
In 2022, Peay was honored by VMI with theNew Market Medal, VMI's highest honor.[8]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1993–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief ofUnited States Central Command 1994–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Superintendent of theVirginia Military Institute 2003–2020 | Succeeded by |
Leaders of theUnited States Army | ||
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| Senior officers / commanding generals |   | |
| Chiefs of staff | ||
| Vice chiefs of staff | ||
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