Full dress blue uniform
Commander, U.S. Army Europe

Polk was born at Camp McGraw in Batangas in the Philippines on December 13, 1911.

At the outbreak of World War II he was assigned to West Point as a tactical officer. In 1943 he attended a shortened general staff course at Fort Leavenworth, and after graduation joined the 106th Cavalry Group at Camp Hood, Texas as a squadron commander, and later as regimental executive officer. In 1948 he went to Tokyo in the G-2 (Intelligence) section of the U.S. Far East Command for the next three years.

During the Korean War Polk was assigned as G-2 to Gen. Ned Almond's X Corps and later as G-2 to Gen. James Van Fleet's 8th Army, and participated in three campaigns.

Upon promotion to Major General, Polk took command of the 4th Armored Division, followed by being the U.S. commandant in Berlin from January 2, 1963 to August 31, 1964 during a time of increased Cold War tensions and President John F. Kennedy's visit to Berlin in June, 1963. He returned to Europe at the end of that year, first as Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe, and six months later was promoted to four-star General as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe.

He retired from active duty on April 1, 1971. He was one of the last senior commanders in the army to have served in the horse cavalry.

 He died on February 18, 1992 at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas after battling cancer and pneumonia. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.