Claire Elwood Hutchin Jr. (January 9, 1916 – June 22, 1980) was a highly decorated

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He received two Distinguished Service Crosses during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and later commanded the 4th Infantry Division and

First United States Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

Early life

Hutchin was born in

Washington, Illinois Washington is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. Washington is on U.S. Route 24 in Illinois, U.S. Route 24 and Illinois Route 8, northeast of East Peoria. The population was 16,071 at the 2020 census, ...

, on January 9, 1916. He was named after his father, a lawyer who saw service in World War I.

Military career

Hutchin was appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1934 from Washington state where his father was posted at

Vancouver Barracks The Vancouver Barracks was the first United States Army base located in the Pacific Northwest, established in 1849, in what is now contemporary Vancouver, Washington. It was built on a rise above the Fort Vancouver fur trading station establish ...

, Washington. He graduated with the class of 1938 and was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 29th Infantry Regiment at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia, until July 1941.

World War II

At the time of the United States entry into World War II, Hutchin was assistant staff officer G1 (administration) for the 4th Infantry Division until attending the Command and General Staff School at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas in early 1942. In April, Hutchin became assistant G2 (intelligence) staff officer for the 7th Infantry Division, then at

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay on the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...

, California. In 1943, Hutchin was assistant G3 (operations and plans) staff officer for

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German ...

. Later that year he received a wartime commission as lieutenant colonel and posting with the Southeast Asia Command joint planning staff. After the war he transferred to the War Department general staff operations division strategy section. In November 1946, Hutchin was assistant executive officer for General

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (31 December 1880 – 16 October 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. ...

's special presidential mission to China. He returned to China as part of General

Albert Coady Wedemeyer Albert Coady Wedemeyer (9 July 1896 – 19 December 1989) was a United States Army general who served in Asia during World War II from October 1943 to the end of the war in 1945. Previously, he was an important member of the War Planning Board ...

's presidential mission in late 1947. By the end of the year, Hutchin was joint secretary then joint planner with the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC) joint staff.

Korean War

In the

, Hutchin was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for commanding the 1st Battalion,

23rd Infantry Regiment The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. A unit with the same name was formed on 26 June 1812 and saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812. In 1815 it was consolidated with the 6th, 16th, 22nd, and ...

against the Chinese offensive from November 25–30, 1950, around Kujangdong, Korea. Hutchin was engaged in a series of defensive actions, counterattacks and withdrawals against superior enemy forces when his Company C, was overrun and suffered losses of combat leadership and material. Taking personal command, he recovered the disorganized elements of the company, recovered the unit's original position and relieved troops surrounded when the position was overrun. Later, his battalion was assigned as the rear guard for the 2nd Infantry Division withdrawal from Kujangdong and fought two enemy battalions with a single rifle company and armored company.

Later career

As a major general, Hutchin commanded the 4th Infantry Division from September 1963 to June 1965. From July 1967 to August 1969, Lieutenant General Hutchin was deputy commander/chief of staff for

United States Pacific Command The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Lead ...

. From 1969 to 1971, Hutchin served as the Commanding General, V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany. Hutchin commanded the

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...

, Maryland from 1971 until his retirement in 1973. He was succeeded by

Glenn D. Walker Glenn D. Walker (January 21, 1916 – May 3, 2002) was a Lieutenant General (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was notable as commander of the 4th Infantry Division (United States), 4th Infantry Division, First Unit ...

Awards and decorations

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchin, Claire Elwood, Jr. 1916 births 1980 deaths People from Washington, Illinois United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Illinois