John H. Michaelis

Who was John H. Michaelis?

John Hersey Michaelis was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, United States Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth United States Army from 1969 to 1972.

Michaelis was a 1936 graduate of the United States Military Academy. In World War II, he was executive officer of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, but took command of the unit after the commanding officer, George Van Horn Moseley, Jr., broke his leg on the drop into Normandy. Later, Michaelis was severely wounded in the Netherlands. Other assignments include having served as aide-de-camp to Dwight Eisenhower from 1947 to 1948, and commanding the 27th Infantry Regiment known as the " Wolfhounds " at the Pusan perimeter during the Korean War, for which he received a Distinguished Service Cross. As he commanded the "Wolfhounds" early in the war, most American units were not doing well because they were prone to break down and retreat. However his unit fared much better, General Matt Ridgeway believed, because of the fact that Michaelis was an Airborne Commander and therefore did not panic whenever his unit was in danger of being surrounded.