Wood was
commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the
Coast Artillery on June 12, 1912. Wood wrote on military topics, and his articles and reviews and digests of military literature from other countries, including
France,
Germany,
Italy and
Spain appeared in professional journals throughout his career. In August 1916, after having been promoted to
first lieutenant the month before, he returned to the United States Military Academy faculty and transferred to the
Ordnance Corps in September. He was promoted to
captain on May 15, 1917, a few weeks after the
American entry into World War I, and to the temporary rank of
major on December 18. Wood then attended the French Staff School at
Langres, from which he graduated in September. The school was created to teach planning and management skills to officers, and his classmates included
George S. Patton,
William Hood Simpson, and
Alexander Patch. He returned to the United States in October 1918 and was assigned as Personnel Officer of the
18th Division at
Camp Travis, Texas, before the war ended due to the
Armistice with Germany the following month.
Post-World War I In February 1919, he was transferred to the
Field Artillery and became Professor of
Military Science and Tactics at the
University of Wisconsin. In 1921, he was assigned as executive officer of the
11th Field Artillery Regiment in
Hawaii. He was a distinguished graduate of his class at the
United States Army Command and General Staff College in June 1924. From June 1924 to May 1927, he was Executive Officer of the Motorized Artillery Brigade at
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. From May 1927 to July 1929, he commanded the 2nd Battalion,
16th Field Artillery Regiment at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In July 1929, he began the course at France's
Écoles Supérieures de Guerre, from which he graduated in August 1931. From 1932 to August 1937, Wood was Professor of Military Science and Tactics at
Culver Military Academy. From September 1939 to 1940, Wood served as Chief of Staff for General
Stanley D. Embick, Commanding General of
Third Army. and assigned as Commanding Officer,
1st Infantry Division Artillery. In April 1941, he took command of the artillery of the
2nd Armored Division, but only served until June. From June to October 1941, he was Chief of Staff of the
1st Armored Corps. On November 5, 1941 (October 31), he was promoted to the temporary rank of
brigadier general and took command of Combat Command "A",
5th Armored Division. However, Lieutenant Colonel Harold L. Mack, of the
COMZ staff, who described the failure to implement Operation Chastity as the "Critical Error of World War II". placed the blame for failing to capture Quiberon Bay on Wood stating that he "had set his heart on participating in the main drive for Paris, where he could achieve fame and glory" and accuses Wood and all his superiors in the chain of command of failing to appreciate the "supreme need of taking Quiberon Bay".
Drive across France The 4th Armored led the
Third Army's drive east across France, earning Wood his second nickname, "Tiger Jack" because when Patton would yell at him, Wood would pace like a caged animal and argue back. , Major General John S. Wood, Lieutenant General
George S. Patton, and Major General
Manton S. Eddy being shown a map by one of Patton's armored battalion commanders during a tour near Metz, France, November 1944 In August 1944, Wood ran into difficulty when command of his higher headquarters within Third Army, the
XII Corps, was assigned to
Manton S. Eddy. Wood thought he'd earned the opportunity to command a corps, but was bypassed by
Omar Bradley, the commander of the U.S. 12th Army Group, which included Patton's Third Army. Wood was an artilleryman, and may have been passed over in favor of Eddy, who was an infantryman, as was Bradley. It is also possible that Wood was not selected for corps command because of his outspoken manner and willingness to question his superiors.
End of active duty Wood did not get along with Eddy, including refusing to provide Eddy's headquarters with routine reports or copies of 4th Armored Division's operations orders. Eddy eventually complained to Patton, and Patton replaced Wood with Major General
Hugh Gaffey on 3 December 1944, shortly before the
Battle of the Bulge. At the time of Wood's relief, he was assured by his superiors, the Third Army commander, Patton, and
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the
Supreme Allied Commander on the
Western Front, that he was being relieved only because medical reports indicated that he was ill, and that after a short rest he would either return to command of the 4th Armored Division or be promoted to command of a corps. Wood received the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star for his service as commander of the 4th Armored Division. Wood returned to duty in the United States, and finished his military career in 1946 as the commander of the
Armor Replacement Training Center (ARTC) at
Fort Knox, Kentucky. ==Post-military career==