John K. Singlaub

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John K. Singlaub
Singlaub
Birth nameJohn Kirk Singlaub
Born(1921-07-10)July 10, 1921
Independence, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 29, 2022(2022-01-29) (aged 100)
Franklin, Tennessee, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army seal United States Army
Years of service1943–1978
Rank Major General
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal (2)
Silver Star
Legion of Merit (3)
Soldier's Medal
Bronze Star (2)
Air Medal (2)
Purple Heart (2)

Major General John Kirk Singlaub (July 10, 1921 – January 29, 2022) was a major general in the United States Army, founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a highly decorated officer in the former Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

In 1977, Singlaub was relieved from his position as Chief of Staff of U.S. forces in South Korea after criticizing President

Washington Post. Less than a year later, Singlaub was forced to retire after publicly questioning President Carter's national security policies. In 1979, Singlaub founded the Western Goals Foundation, a private intelligence network that was implicated for supplying weapons to the Contras during the Iran–Contra affair
. Singlaub contributed to several books and wrote an autobiography.

Biography

Singlaub was born in

D-Day
.

In 1945, Singlaub was redeployed to the Pacific. On August 27, before the formal Japanese surrender, he parachuted onto

Hainan Island, China, commanding an eight-member team, to arrange the evacuation of US, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war being held there. Singlaub demanded proper food and medical care for the POWs, who the Japanese were still treating as prisoners.[4]

In 1951, during the

L-19 Bird Dog and made a series of high altitude low-opening test jumps over the Han River.[5]

After his time in Korea, Singlaub headed CIA operations in postwar

Fort Rucker as a fifty-year-old brigadier general in 1971.[7]

In 1977, while Singlaub was chief of staff of U.S. forces in South Korea, he publicly criticized President

U.S. Army Special Operations Command presented its first John Singlaub Award in 2016 for "courageous actions ... off the battlefield."[12]

After retiring from the army, Singlaub, with

World Anti-Communist League (WACL). The chapter became involved with the Iran–Contra affair,[14] with Associated Press reporting that, "Singlaub's private group became the public cover for the White House operation".[15] The WACL was described by former member Geoffrey Stewart-Smith as allegedly a "largely a collection of Nazis, Fascists, anti-Semites, sellers of forgeries, vicious racialists, and corrupt self-seekers." Singlaub is credited with purging the organization of these types and making it respectable.[16]

U.S. Army General

communist resistance forces in Afghanistan opposed to the Red Army invasion of Kabul in 1979.[citation needed
]

As of 2014, he lived in

Mike Flynn, drop the charges".[19]

He turned 100 in July 2021, and died on January 29, 2022.[20][21]

Coalition to Salute America's Heroes

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which was founded by Roger Chapin, named Singlaub to its board of directors in 2008.[22] Singlaub was paid $180,000 by the charity from 2009 to 2011.[23] The New York Times critiqued the organization as a money-maker for its founders rather than for veterans, described it as an "intolerable fraud" and "among a dozen military-related charities given a grade of F in a study last December by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit watchdog group. These and other charities have collected hundreds of millions of dollars from kind-hearted Americans and squandered an unconscionable amount of it on overhead and expenses – 70 percent or 80 percent, or more."[24] The Attorney General of California sued the charity in August 2012 for "more than $4.3 million regarding allegations of fraudulent fundraising, self-dealing and excessive executive compensation."[25] The lawsuit was settled in September 2013.[26] According to the charity's 2013 federal tax return, Singlaub resigned from its board of directors in January 2013.[27]

Awards

During his military service, Singlaub was awarded the

Republic of China, the Netherlands, and South Vietnam
.

Personal awards
Unit awards
  • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
  • Gallantry Cross Unit Award
    (Vietnam)

Singlaub was inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006.[28] He was made a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment in 2007.[2]

Published works

  • Hazardous Duty. Summit Books, 1991. (Autobiography with Malcolm McConnell).

References

  1. ^ a b c Singlaub's official site Archived February 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c "Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment: Major General John K. Singlaub" (PDF). U.S. Special Operations Command. April 26, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  3. ^ "John Singlaub, audacious warrior who waged private battle against communism, dies at 100". The Washington Post. February 1, 2022. p. B6. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  4. .
  5. .
  6. ^ U.S. Army Register: Active and Retired List. Vol. I. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army. January 1, 1966. p. 519. Retrieved 2001-11-07.
  7. . Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  8. . Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  9. ^ "Carter / Singlaub | Vanderbilt Television News Archive". tvnews.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved Feb 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "ARMED FORCES: General on the Carpet". Time. May 30, 1977. Retrieved Feb 10, 2019 – via content.time.com.
  11. ^ Persico, Joseph E. (August 4, 1991). "His Dog Tags Don't Come Off (Book Review)". New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  12. ^ "USASOC Red, Black Ball presents first Maj. Gen. Singlaub Award". U.S. Army.
  13. ^ "McDonald's peers note tragic irony", The Spokesman-Review, 1983-09-02, retrieved 2009-08-26
  14. ^ "RightWeb Group Watch profile". 9 January 1990. Retrieved Feb 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "McCain linked to private group in Iran-Contra case". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  16. ^ McManus, Doyle (September 16, 1985). "Rightist Crusade Finds Its Way Into Spotlight: Led by Retired Gen. Singlaub, Anti-Communist League Is Funnel for Private Funds to Contras". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original (fee required) on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  17. ^ "National Advisory Council". Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  18. ^ "Election officials warn of letter questioning registration of cats, dogs, the deceased". WAVY. September 27, 2016. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  19. ^ "Maj. Gen. Jack Singlaub to AG Barr: Free Mike Flynn, Drop the Charges". Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  20. ^ "John Singlaub, American commando and leader, dies at 100". sandboxx.us. January 29, 2022. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "Maj General John Singlaub OSS, Ranger, Jack, CCRAK, MACV-SOG has died". SOF Magazine. 29 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Biography of Major General John K. Singlaub". Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
  23. ^ "Guidestar compensation report for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes" (PDF). Guidestar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  24. ^ 'An Intolerable Fraud' The New York Times, February 8, 2008
  25. ^ "California AG Sues Veterans' Charity". The NonProfit Times. August 10, 2012.
  26. ^ "Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces New Leadership, Restitution for Help Hospitalized Veterans Charity". State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General. 6 September 2013.
  27. ^ "2012 IRS Form 990 for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes Foundation (page 7)" (PDF). Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
  28. ^ "U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame" (PDF). Worldwide Army Rangers, Inc. June 12, 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-07.

External links