This Military Service Page was created/owned by
MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Emerson, Henry Everett (Hank), LTG.
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Washington
Last Address Helena, Montana
Date of Passing Feb 04, 2015
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
HELENA, Mont. - Henry Everett "Hank" Emerson, a retired Army lieutenant general, best known for being the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea during the mid-1970's when Colin Powell served as a battalion commander, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015.
Gen. Emerson was born in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 1925, the son of Brig. Gen. Govenor Vincent Emerson, M.D., and Marie McLaughlin. He graduated from West Point in the class of 1947 as a second lieutenant of infantry and served as a company commander with the 5th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean War. He then served on the staff and faculty of the infantry school, followed by an assignment as a tactical officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was a graduate of the Navy Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College.
Gen. Emerson was best known as a combat commander in three wars: a company commander in the Korean War; a battalion commander in the Dominican Republic; and brigade commander in the Vietnam War. His general officer assignments were as the assistant division commander, 82nd Airborne Division; commanding general, 2nd Infantry Division; commanding general, John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance; and the commanding general, XVIII Airborne Corps.
According to those that knew him best, such as Colin Powell, who would go on to become the Secretary of State, what set him apart as a combat commander was his great love for his soldiers and his concern for their welfare.
During his command in the Vietnam War, he conceived aerial reconnaissance and combat methods that employed effectively against the Viet Cong. These included a checkerboard concept that involves small groups covering grid squares to seek out an enemy, and jitterbug tactics which are complex maneuvers using helicopters to surround an enemy. This would seem jittery like the dance when Eagle Flights, which were helicopters loaded with local soldiers, were flown in quickly to assist foreign troops in certain situations. 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).
Gen. Emerson, who was fraternally called "The Gunfighter" by his troops, was one of the most decorated officers in the history of the Army. He received a Master Parachutist Badge, a Combat/Infantry Badge with Star, two Distinguished Service Crosses, three Distinguished Service Medals, five Silver Stars, and two Purple Hearts among others.
Gen. Emerson had a saying on his wall "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." Today, the general has "faded away" and we salute him one last time.
Gen. Emerson is survived by his nephew, Richard Emerson Wilkins of Wilmington, N.C.; a niece, Marie Page Riggle, of Towson, Md.; a grandniece, Elizabeth Page Wilkins of Melrose, Mass. and her husband, Lt. Col. Joseph G. Marine, USMA; and two great-grandnephews, William Quinn Hardisty and Joseph William Marine.
Memorial services and interment will be held in Arlington National Cemetery later this spring and will be announced at a later date.
Donations should be made to the Fisher House, 12 Bassett St., Fort Bragg, NC 28307
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC Details
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) - known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951 - was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on 113 acres (46 ha) in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military.
The center was named after Major Walter Reed (1851-1902), an Army physician who led the team that confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct contact.
Since its origins, the WRAMC medical care facility grew from a bed capacity of 80 patients to approximately 5,500 rooms covering more than 28 acres (11 ha) of floor space. WRAMC combined with the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland in 2011 to form the tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Congressional legislation appropriated $192,000 for the construction of Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH, now known as "Building 1"), and the first ten patients were admitted on May 1, 1909. Lieutenant Colonel William Cline Borden was the initiator, planner, and effective mover for the creation, location, and first Congressional support of the Medical Center. Due to his efforts, the facility was nicknamed "Borden's Dream."
In 1923, General John J. Pershing signed the War Department order creating the "Army Medical Center" (AMC) within the same campus as the WRGH. (At this time, the Army Medical School was relocated from 604 Louisiana Avenue and became the "Medical Department Professional Service School" (MDPSS) in the new Building 40.) Pershing lived at Walter Reed from 1944 until his death there July 15, 1948.
In September 1951, "General Order Number 8" combined the WRGH with the AMC, and the entire complex of 100 rose-brick Georgian Revival style buildings were at that time renamed the "Walter Reed Army Medical Center" (WRAMC).
In June 1955, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) occupied the new Building 54 and, in November, what had been MDPSS was renamed the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR).
1964 saw the birth of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing (WRAIN). Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower died at WRAMC on March 28, 1969.
Starting in 1972, a huge new WRAMC building (Building 2) was constructed and made ready for occupation by 1977. WRAIR moved from Building 40 to a large new facility on the WRAMC Forest Glen Annex in Maryland in 1999. Subsequently, Building 40 was slated for renovation under an enhanced use lease by a private developer.
As part of a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) announcement on May 13, 2005, the Department of Defense proposed replacing Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC); the new center would be on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, seven miles (11 km) from WRAMC's current location in Washington, D.C. The proposal was part of a program to transform medical facilities into joint facilities, with staff including Army, Navy, and Air Force medical personnel.
On August 25, 2005, the BRAC Committee recommended passage of the plans for the WRNMMC. The transfer of services from the existing to the new facilities was gradual to allow for continuity of care for the thousands of service members, retirees and family members that depended upon WRAMC. The end of operations at the WRAMC facility occurred on August 27, 2011.
