John H. Michaelis
John Hersey Michaelis | |
---|---|
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment | |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star Medal (3) Purple Heart (2) Air Medal |
John Hersey Michaelis (August 20, 1912 – October 31, 1985) was a
Military career
Michaelis enlisted in the Army on June 18, 1931 and was subsequently appointed to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point with a B.S. degree in 1936. Michaelis later graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1942.[3]
In World War II, Michaelis was executive officer of the
Michaelis served as aide-de-camp to General of the Army
During the
Michaelis described the Turkish Brigade's combat readiness in unflattering terms, according to American historian Clay Blair. Blair wrote that war correspondents were misled into thinking that the Turks were "tough" fighters by their "flowing mustaches, swarthy complexions, and fierce demeanors", while in fact Blair declared them "ill trained, ill led, and green to combat."[8][9] Blair quoted Michaelis as stating:
The Turks were commanded by an aged brigadier who had been a division commander at Gallipoli in 1916 fighting the British! He was highly respected, high up in the Turkish military establishment, and took a bust to brigadier to command the brigade. The average Turk soldier in the brigade came from the steppe country of Turkey, near Russia, had probably had only three or four years of school, was uprooted, moved to western Turkey, given a uniform, [a] rifle, and a little smattering of training, stuck on a ship, sailed ten thousand miles, then dumped off on a peninsula – 'Korea, where's that?' – and told the enemy was up there someplace, go get him! The Turk soldier scratches his head and says, 'What's he done to me?'[8][9]
Michaelis was also awarded a second Silver Star and the Air Medal.[6] In 1952, he returned to the United States and became commandant of cadets at the United States Military Academy.[5] Later Michaelis commanded the Fifth Army.[5] He was promoted to full general upon his retirement in 1972.[5]
Later life
Michaelis died of heart failure on Thursday, 31 October 1985, in Clayton, Georgia. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
References
- ISSN 1041-2581. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "Los Angeles Times: Archives - Retired Gen. 'Iron Mike' Michaelis Dies". pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b U.S. Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired List. Vol. I. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 1964. p. 362. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Personalities and Commanders | "Iron Mike"". 101airborneww2.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Retired Gen. 'Iron Mike' Michaelis Dies: Veteran of WWII, Korea Was Eisenhower Aide, West Point Chief". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1985.
- ^ a b "Class of 1936—Register of Graduates". Official Register of the Officers and Cadets. United States Military Academy. 1971. p. 455. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "TIME magazine article April 06, 1959". time.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ a b Blair 2003, p. 451.
- ^ a b Blair 1987, p. 451.
- Blair, Clay (2003). The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950-1953 (illustrated, reprint ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591140757. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- Blair, Clay (Dec 12, 1987). The forgotten war: America in Korea, 1950. Times Books. ISBN 0812916700. Retrieved 18 April 2014.