Delos Carleton Emmons | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons | |
| Born | (1889-01-17)January 17, 1889 |
| Died | October 3, 1965(1965-10-03) (aged 76) United States |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1909–1948 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 1st Wing Hawaiian Department Western Defense Command |
| Conflicts | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal |
Delos Carleton Emmons (January 17, 1889 – October 3, 1965) was alieutenant general in theUnited States Army.[1] He was the military governor of Hawaii in the aftermath of theAttack on Pearl Harbor and administered the replacement of normalU.S. banknotes withspecial war-emergency US banknotes in case the islands were invaded. He is credited with preventing themass evacuation of Japanese-Americans from Hawaii, which many have called a shameful episode of racism and jingoism that was felt hardest on the mainland.
He was born on January 17, 1889, inHuntington, West Virginia. He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in June 1909 and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant. Emmons was assigned as commanding officer of Company B,30th Infantry Regiment at thePresidio of San Francisco and in May 1912 went to Fort Gibbon, Alaska with the 30th. He returned toPlattsburg Barracks, New York.
He became a first lieutenant in July 1916 and was detailed to the Signal Corps' Aviation Section for pilot training in August 1916. He was rated a junior military aviator in May 1917 and became a captain in July. Emmons next served as aeronautical officer of the Western Department at San Francisco and in December went to Washington as assistant executive in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. The following June, Emmons was promoted to major and went toMather Field, California. He became a lieutenant colonel in August and in December was transferred toMcCook Field inDayton, Ohio as assistant chief of the Engineering Division.
Emmons transferred to theU.S. Army Air Service in July 1920 and a year later completed the Air Service Course at Harvard University. He returned to McCook Field for three years as chief of Production Engineering. Emmons went toCrissy Field, California in August 1924, where he served as commanding officer, and then toRockwell Field as commanding officer of the 91st Observation Squadron. He went to Washington, D.C., in August 1927 as executive officer for the chief of the Air Corps. He held the same assignment for the Assistant Secretary of War for Air,F. Trubee Davison, in October 1928. Emmons graduated from theAir Corps Tactical School atMaxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and theCommand and General Staff School atFort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Emmons was concurrently commanding officer of the18th Composite Wing and Air Officer of theHawaiian Department atFort Shafter in the Hawaiian Islands from March 1934 to July 1936. He became a colonel in March 1935. Emmons returned to the United States in July 1936 as commander of the1st Wing, General Headquarters Air Force, atMarch Field, California, with promotion to brigadier general. Emmons received his second star in March 1939 as part of his appointment as commander of the GHQ Air Force atLangley Field, Virginia, succeeding Col.Frank Andrews, who was not reappointed after four years in the position and was returned to his permanent rank.
After the fall of France, the Americans and British increased their military cooperation; Emmons was one of three American military observers sent to London on August 6, 1940. He was promoted tolieutenant general in November 1940 when Army General Headquarters was activated, to make him equal in grade to the field army commanders of GHQ. He retained his command when GHQ Air Force was renamed Air Force Combat Command in June 1941 and made a part of the newUnited States Army Air Forces. This however caused command difficulties since he was now superior in rank to his boss, Major GeneralHenry Arnold, the new Chief of the Army Air Forces.
Emmons was returned by Arnold to Hawaii as commanding general of the Hawaiian Department on December 17, ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He encouraged the creation ofvolunteer defense units.[2] He organized the replacement of the island's U.S. banknotes with new dollarsoverprinted with the wordHAWAII; if the area were occupied, U.S. authorities could declare all marked dollars void and thereby render worthless all money which fell into enemy hands (by their capture of banks, businesses, etc.). He also requested Army Air Force Headquarters to send additional planes and received them as rapidly as possible. Emmons built up the forces in Hawaii, anticipating theBattle of Midway. This was the only combat command he held during the war. Emmons promised the local Japanese American community in Hawaii that they would be treated fairly so long as they remained loyal to the United States, and he succeeded in blocking efforts to relocate them to the outer islands or mainland in internment camps by pointing out the logistical difficulties.[3]
Returning to the United States in June 1943, Emmons was assigned three months later as commanding general of theWestern Defense Command at thePresidio of San Francisco. Emmons headed theAlaskan Department atFort Richardson from June 1944 until June 1946. He became commandant of theArmed Forces Staff College atNorfolk, Virginia, in August 1946 and remained in that position until he retired June 30, 1948.
General Emmons' awards and decorations include theArmy Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; theNavy Distinguished Service Medal,Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster;Distinguished Flying Cross;Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster;American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp;American Campaign Medal;Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Bronze Star;World War I Victory Medal;World War II Victory Medal;Mexican Border Service Medal.
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| 1st Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal with twoclusters | Navy Distinguished Service Medal | Legion of Merit with cluster | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Distinguished Flying Cross | Air Medal with cluster | Mexican Border Service Medal | World War I Victory Medal |
| 3rd Row | American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp | American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with onestar | World War II Victory Medal |
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| No pin insignia in 1909 | Second Lieutenant | Regular Army | 11 June 1909 |
 | First Lieutenant | Regular Army | 1 July 1916 |
 | Captain | Regular Army | 17 May 1917 |
 | Major | National Army | 7 June 1918 |
 | Lieutenant Colonel | National Army | 20 August 1918 |
| Reverted to permanent rank ofCaptain | Regular Army | 1 March 1920 |
| Major | Regular Army | 1 July 1920 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Regular Army | 26 May 1934 |
 | Colonel | Temporary | 2 March 1935 |
 | Brigadier General | Temporary | 16 June 1936 |
| Colonel | Regular Army | 1 July 1938 |
 | Major General | Temporary | 1 March 1939 |
 | Lieutenant General | Army of the United States | 25 October 1940 |
| Brigadier General | Regular Army | 31 May 1941 |
| Major General | Regular Army | 23 August 1941 |
| Lieutenant General | Retired List | 30 June 1948 |
Emmons is the grandson of the co-founder ofHuntington, West Virginia,Delos W. Emmons.[6] Which makes Emmons a great-nephew ofCollis P. Huntington.[7]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromLieutenant General Delos Carleton Emmons.United States Air Force.
| Territorial Governor of Hawaiʻi(1898–1941) |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Military Governor of Hawaii(1941–1944) | ||
| Territorial Governor of Hawaiʻi(1944–1959) | ||
| Governor of Hawaiʻi(1959–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
