John R. Hodge

John Reed Hodge
Born	(1893-06-12)June 12, 1893 Golconda, Illinois
Died	November 12, 1963(1963-11-12) (aged 70) Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	U.S. Army
Years of service	1917–1953
Rank	General
Service number	0-7285
Unit	Infantry Branch
Commands	43rd Infantry Division Americal Division XXIV Corps V Corps US 3rd Army
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Guadalcanal Campaign Operation Cartwheel Solomons campaign Bougainville Campaign Philippines Campaign Battle of Leyte Battle of Okinawa Operation Blacklist Forty Korean War
Awards	Army DSM (3) Navy DSM Legion of Merit Air Medal Purple Heart

General John Reed Hodge (June 12, 1893 – November 12, 1963) was a highly decorated senior officer of the United States Army. His final assignment before retiring was as chief of Army Field Forces from 1952 to 1953.

Early life and career

Born in Golconda, Illinois, Hodge attended Southern Illinois Teachers College and the University of Illinois. After completing an officer indoctrination program at the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Sheridan, he received a direct commission in the Army as an infantry second lieutenant in 1917. He served in World War I in France and Luxembourg.

Remaining in the Army following the end of the war, he taught military science at Mississippi State University from 1921 to 1925 and graduated from the Infantry School in 1926. After a posting to Hawaii, he graduated from the Command and General Staff School, from where he graduated in 1934, the Army War College, and the Air Corps Tactical School.

World War II

At the beginning of World War II, Hodge served as chief of staff of the VII Corps under the command of Major General Robert C. Richardson Jr., located in California as a part of the Western Defense Command. He was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general in June 1942 and transferred to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, where he was appointed assistant division commander and deputy of Major General J. Lawton Collins.

The 25th Division was sent overseas to Guadalcanal in November 1942. Hodge stayed with 25th Division until April 1943, when he was promoted to the rank of major general and transferred to the temporary command of the 43rd Infantry Division, where he relieved Major General John H. Hester, who was exhausted from combat. Hodge commanded the 43rd Division during the combats in Northern Solomons and was decorated with the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service.

After three months of service with the 43rd Division, Hodge was given command of the "Americal" Infantry Division on the Fiji Islands. He subsequently commanded the division during the Bougainville campaign.

Hodge was appointed commanding officer of the newly activated XXIV Corps in Hawaii and participated in the Battle of Leyte within Philippines Campaign and later in Battle of Okinawa. He received the Army Distinguished Service Medals for each of these campaigns. Hodge was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant general in June 1945.

Later career

Army commanders in the United States and certain overseas commanders meet with Secretary of the Army Frank Pace and General J. Lawton Collins, Army Chief of Staff, in the Pentagon in routine sessions, June 5, 1952. Lieutenant General John R. Hodge is sat fourth from the right, between Secretary Pace (left) and Lieutenant General Henry Aurand (right).

The grave of General John R. Hodge at Arlington National Cemetery.

From 1945 to 1948, Hodge was the commanding general of United States Army Forces in Korea (USAFIK). He took his corps to Korea under orders of Douglas MacArthur, landing at Incheon on 9 September 1945. He was the commanding officer receiving the surrender of all Japanese forces in Korea south of the 38th parallel. Hodge refused to recognize the People's Republic of Korea and its People's Committees, and outlawed it on 12 December 1945.

Hodge then returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to command V US Corps from 1948 to 1950. After the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, he was named the commanding general of the US Third Army, based in the United States of America, and not in Korea.

Hodge was promoted to general on 5 July 1952. His final assignment was as Chief of Army Field Forces from 8 May 1952 until he retired from military service on June 30, 1953.

General Hodge died in Washington, D.C., in 1963, at the age of 70.

Decorations

US Army Air Forces Aircraft Observer Badge
1st Row	Army Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters								Navy Distinguished Service Medal
2nd Row	Legion of Merit				Air Medal				Purple Heart				World War I Victory Medal with three battle clasps
3rd Row	Army of Occupation of Germany Medal				American Defense Service Medal				American Campaign Medal				Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four service stars and Arrowhead device
4th Row	World War II Victory Medal				Army of Occupation Medal				National Defense Service Medal				Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date
	Second lieutenant	Officers Reserve Corps	August 15, 1917
	Second lieutenant	Regular Army	October 26, 1917
	First lieutenant	Regular Army	May 15, 1918
	Captain	National Army	October 12, 1918
	Captain	Regular Army	July 1, 1920
	Major	Regular Army	August 1, 1935
	Lieutenant colonel	Regular Army	August 18, 1940
	Colonel	Army of the United States	December 17, 1941
	Brigadier general	Army of the United States	June 23, 1942
	Major general	Army of the United States	April 28, 1943
	Lieutenant general	Army of the United States	June 6, 1945
	Brigadier general	Regular Army	March 1, 1946
	Major general	Regular Army	April 6, 1947
	General	Army of the United States	July 5, 1952
	General	Regular Army, Retired	June 30, 1953

See also

• History of South Korea
• Military history of the United States
• Jang Il-soon, who opposed Hodge's appointment to lead the United States Army Military Government in Korea

Bibliography

• Taaffe, Stephen R. (2013). Marshall and His Generals: U.S. Army Commanders in World War II. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1942-9. OCLC 840162019.

External links

• Generals of World War II
• United States Army Officers 1939–1945