James H. Polk
| James H. Polk | |
|---|---|
General James Hilliard Polk
22nd Commander of United States Army Europe |
|
| Born |
December 13, 1911 Batangas, Philippines |
| Died | February 18, 1992 (aged 80) El Paso, Texas |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1933–1971 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
U.S. Army Europe 4th Armored Division 3rd Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized) |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit |
James Hilliard Polk (December 13, 1911 – February 18, 1992) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Army Europe from 1967 to 1971. He was one of the last senior commanders in the army to have served in the horse cavalry.
Polk was born at Camp McGraw in Batangas in the Philippines on December 13, 1911 to Colonel Harding Polk, and the former Esther Fleming. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1933 and was commissioned in the cavalry. Prior to World War II he served in two cavalry regiments, and attended the basic and advanced courses at the cavalry school. In 1939 at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden he won first place in the Individual Military and Police Jumping event.
At the outbreak of World War II he was assigned to West Point as a tactical officer. In 1943 he attended a shortened general staff course at Fort Leavenworth, and after graduation joined the 106th Cavalry Group at Camp Hood, Texas as a squadron commander, and later as regimental executive officer. In Europe, the group fought in the hedgerows of Normandy and the breakout from Saint-Lô.
In early September 1944, Polk assumed command of the 3rd Cavalry Group, then in combat near Metz, France, and commanded it until the end of the war. During this time the unit was known as "Task Force Polk", and spearheaded many advances by Gen. Walton Walker's XX Corps, part of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.'s Third Army.
After brief occupation duty in Germany at the end of World War II, Polk returned to the U.S. and became Chief of Tactics at the Ground General School at Fort Riley, Kansas, and later attended the Armed Forces Staff College. In 1948 he went to Tokyo in the G-2 (Intelligence) section of the U.S. Far East Command for the next three years.
...
Wikipedia