John C. H. Lee
| John C. H. Lee | |
|---|---|
John Clifford Hodges Lee as a Brigadier General
|
|
| Birth name | John Clifford Hodges Lee |
| Nickname(s) | Jesus Christ Himself (see initials) John "Court House" Lee |
| Born |
August 1, 1887 Junction City, Kansas |
| Died | August 30, 1958 (aged 71) York, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1909-1947 (36 years) |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General
|
| Commands held |
2nd Infantry Division (United States) November 1941 to May 1942 |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit |
| Other work | Episcopalian Layman |
2nd Infantry Division (United States) November 1941 to May 1942
Services of Supply (ETO)
US Army Service Forces - European Theater 1942-1945,
John Clifford Hodges Lee (August 1, 1887 – August 30, 1958) was a US Army general. He graduated 12th out of 103 graduates from the United States Military Academy in 1909. He served in World War I, World War II and rose to the rank of lieutenant general.
In World War I, Lee was a colonel and chief of staff, 89th Infantry Division, earning a Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star. He was the youngest man to hold that rank and job for any combat division in France. He also was aide de camp to General Leonard Wood, before he shipped overseas.
Lee's training was as a military engineer. He was treasurer of the Society of American Military Engineers in 1924.
In 1927 the previous winter's rains were so great, the Mississippi River's tributaries forced great quantities of water into the river system causing great flooding in Mississippi and New Orleans. Lee was the army district engineer at Vicksburg. He wired a message to the Chief of Engineers "Levee broke... crevasse will overflow entire Mississippi Delta."
Between 1934 and 1938, as a lieutenant colonel, he was commander of the Philadelphia District, US Army Corps of Engineers. In 1938, he was made District Engineer of the Columbia River District at Portland, Oregon.
Promoted to Brigadier, from 1940 to 1941 he was commanding general of all Pacific Ports of Embarkation, working out of Fort Mason California. He was responsible for updating that entire port for wartime, and contributed to the reworking of other Pacific ports. He was promoted to major general in February 1942, having already been given command of the 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Third Army Commander LTG Walter Krueger said to him to "Get this deficient unit up to par, or I will fire you." After some months, and maneuvers attended by Krueger and Gen. McNair, Krueger told him "you have earned that second star."
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