General John Reed Hodge

John Reed Hodge was a military officer of the United States Army. Hodge was born in Golconda, Illinois. He entered military service as a Second Lieutenant in 1917, after completing U.S. Army Officer Candidate School. He served in World War I in France and Luxembourg.

During World War II, Hodge served in the Pacific Theater. He started his career as part of the staff of general Joseph Lawton Collins in the guadalcanal campaign. He then participated in the bouganville campaign in 1943-1944. He was promoted to General during the Philippines Campaign in 1944. In 1945 he served on Okinawa, and he was promoted to Lieutenant General in August, becoming the commander of the XXIV Corps of the US Tenth Army.

From 1945 to 1948, Hodge was the military governor of South Korea under the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK). He took his corps to Korea under orders of General MacArthur, landing at Incheon on 9 September 1945. He was the commanding officer receiving the surrender of all Japanese forces in Korea south of the 38th parallel.

Hodge then returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1948 to 1950. After the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, he was named the Commanding General of the US Third Army, based in the United States of America, and not in Korea.

General Hodge retired from military service in June 1953 and died on November 12, 1963.