Henry E. Emerson

Henry Everett "Hank" Emerson (May 28, 1925 – February 4, 2015) was a United States Army lieutenant general best known for being the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea^[2] during the mid-1970s, when Colin Powell served as a battalion commander.^[2][3] Emerson was a 1947 graduate of the United States Military Academy.

Military career

Henry Everett Emerson^[1] gained recognition during the Vietnam War for his tactical ability on the battlefield. His tactics as a commander were novel.^[3] He conceived aerial reconnaissance and combat methods that were employed effectively against the Viet Cong. These included a "checkerboard concept" that involves small groups covering grid squares to seek out an enemy, "jitterbug" tactics which are complex manoeuvres using helicopters to surround an enemy. To the uninitiated this would seem jittery like the dance, and "Eagle Flights" which were helicopters loaded with local soldiers and flown in quickly to assist foreign troops in certain situations.^[4][5] He demonstrated that American soldiers could effectively "out-guerrilla" the Viet Cong. Emerson also developed the "seal-and-pile-on technique" (the rapid build-up of combat power to surround and destroy an enemy force). These highly complex tactics shattered many large enemy units.^{[citation needed]}

Emerson was known for his somewhat eccentric personality, from his training methods to carrying a cowboy-style revolver in place of a regulation

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry E. Emerson.

• 9th Infantry Division: Old Reliables, edited by John Sperry, Turner Publishing Company, 2000, p. 35.
  ISBN 1563116081
• AARP interview with Colin Powell
• Profile on MilitaryTimes
• Authorized biography of General Hank Emerson at the U.S. Army Military Institute website^{[permanent dead link]}