John W. O'Daniel - Later Career

Later Career

General O’Daniel was named Military Attaché at Moscow Russia in June 1948 and after temporary duty with the Intelligence Division at Army headquarters, assumed that position the following September, serving until August 1950 when he was appointed Infantry Inspector in the Office of the Chief of Army Field Forces at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He once recalled that it was the only time he ever wore all of his military decorations he had received, “to dazzle the Russians who were impressed with his medals.” After returning from Moscow he made news when he wrote a lengthy magazine article about his experience and was quoted as saying, “For all its advertised glory, Moscow first impressed me, and still does, as a vast slum.” The Soviet newspaper Pravda responded by accusing him of being a spy and a liar.

In July 1951, he went to Korea to command I Corps (United States), U.S. 8th Army for his last combat assignment. During his service in Korea, he was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious achievement on flights from July 21 to August 14, 1951 and the Commendation Ribbon for meritorious achievement on July 18, 1951. General O’Daniel gained an appreciation for the use of airpower saying "The airlift to Korea is one of the greatest developments of this war. It gives a commander advantages he never had in wars before." He pinned on his third star on December 20, 1951.

On September 1, 1952, General O’Daniel became commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Pacific returning once again to Fort Schafter, Hawaii.

He capped his distinguished career when he was posted as the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group for Indo-China in April 1954 at the behest of President Eisenhower, leading the vanguard of America’s involvement in Indochina. He took a voluntary drop in rank so he would not outrank the French commander at that time. It was a controversial appointment, in that O’Daniel was viewed by some as not having the requisite tact and sophistication. Eisenhower defended him and believed that his critics had underestimated him. “Despite his nickname and his tough exterior”, Eisenhower wrote, “General O’Daniel was a man of great ability and tact”. He quickly became involved in Vietnamese affairs even before the French were defeated. He had been chosen for the assignment largely on the basis of his successful role in creating and supervising the training programs which had transformed the South Korean Army into an effective fighting force during the Korean War. Now, in the aftermath of the Geneva settlement, he and his 342-man group began preparing for the immense task of rebuilding South Vietnam's armed forces.

He was optimistic that with American help Communism in Southeast Asia could be held at bay. He recommended increased aid to the French and an increased American presence. His advice was taken, and he set out to train and equip a more competent and professional South Vietnamese military as France disengaged from the area. Iron Mike became a forceful advocate of the U.S. commitment to Viet Nam, calling it "a test of our guts and our resilience." A monument to General O’Daniel was erected at Quang Trung, about ten miles west of Saigon, and the site of the largest training camp in the country at the time.

General O’Daniel retired from active service on December 31, 1955. At his retirement ceremony General Maxwell Taylor, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, paid a personalized tribute during a Pentagon ceremony. Commenting that “Iron Mike” always gets his objective”, General Taylor told the story of how General O’Daniel captured Berchtesgaden in May 1945. Racing down one side of the Autobahn and finally putting his forces across the single available bridge, General O’Daniel’s men won the spirited race to the prized objective from the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division. General Taylor had been in command of the 101st at the time. General O’Daniel was awarded a third oak leaf cluster to his Distinguished Service Medal at the ceremony.