Henry Irving Hodes was a United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 four star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG) from 1956 to 1959.

Military career

Hodes graduated from the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 in 1920. In addition to commanding U.S. Army Europe, he also commanded the 112th Infantry Regiment during World War II, the 24th Infantry Division in 1952 in the Korea War, served as Commandant of the Command and General Staff College

Command and General Staff College

The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...

 from 1952 to 1954, and was Commanding General, Seventh United States Army from 1954 to 1956.

Other assignments included Assistant Deputy of Staff, U.S. Army from 1945 to 1949, Assistant Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division in 1949, Assistant Commanding General, 7th Infantry Division in 1950, Deputy Commanding General, Eighth United States Army in Korea in 1951. Hodes retired from the Army in 1959. He died in 1962 and was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2008, had 120,982 interments.- History :...

 in San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

.

Military Campaigns

• Normandy
• Northern France
• UN Defensive
• UN Offensive
• CCF Intervention
• 1st UN Counter Offensive
• CCF Spring Offensive
• UN Summer – Fall Offensive
• 2nd Korean Winter
• Panmunjom – Armistice Agreement

Military Decorations

• The Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
• The Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster
• The Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster
• The Bronze Star
• The Air Metal
• The Purple Hear with Oak Leaf Cluster
• The Combat Infantryman Badge
• The British Distinguished Service Order
• The Korean Order of the Military

Short Biography

Gen Hodes began his military carrier in the horse mounted Calvary, in the Wyoming and Texas wilderness. He led the US Army into the mechanized age of trucks, cars, jeeps, tanks, and airplanes. He attempted flying, but gave it up after a couple of crashes. His military career accelerated in WW-II, which found him in the middle of war planning in Washington DC.

He was wounded twice in WW-II, while serving with the 112th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium. He returned to the war after receiving a shoulder wound, but was sent back to the US after receiving a head wound (Sept 20, 1944), which required hospitalization.

Hodes became a Brigadier General on Jan 25, 1945. After serving in the Korean War, he returned to Germany. His service in post-war Europe was vital in the rebuilding efforts and designing defensive strategies opposite the communist Russians in East Germany and the Czech Republic, during the early 1950s.

In Korea, he was given the nickname, “Hammering Hank”. He served first as a field commander and later as a representative at Panmunjom – the Armistice Agreement with North Korea. He served more than 40 years in the US Army. He suffered from ALS (Lou-Garret’s disease) and died at the age of 62.

He had two daughters and one son, Col John Taylor Hodes, US Army (Ret). John served in Korea and 3 consecutive tours of duty in Vietnam.