John Paul Vann
John Paul Vann (Lieutenant Colonel) | |
---|---|
Army Commendation Medal (2) Purple Heart | |
Alma mater | Rutgers University (BS) Syracuse University (MBA) |
John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietnam War reached its peak, he returned to service as a civilian under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development and by the waning days of the war was the first American civilian to command troops in regular combat there. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was the only civilian in Vietnam to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. He died in a helicopter crash in 1972 at 47 years old.
Early life
Born John Paul Tripp in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 2, 1924, out of wedlock, to John Spry and Myrtle Lee Tripp. Vann's mother married Aaron Frank Vann, and Vann took his stepfather's surname; Vann had three half-siblings. In 1942, Aaron Vann officially adopted him.[1] Although the Vann children grew up in near-poverty, Vann was able to attend boarding school at Ferrum College through the patronage of a wealthy member of his church. He graduated from its high school in 1941, and from its junior college program in 1943. With the onset of World War II, Vann sought to become an aviator/pilot.
Military career
In 1943, at the age of 18, Vann enlisted in the
Vann married Mary Jane Allen of Rochester, New York in October 1945, at the age of 21.[3] They had five children.[4]
When the Army Air Force separated from the Army in 1947 to form its own branch, the
In late 1950, in the wake of China's entrance into the war and the retreat of allied forces, now-
In 1954, Vann joined the 16th Infantry Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany, becoming the head of the regiment's Heavy Mortar Company. A year later, he was promoted to major and transferred to Headquarters U.S. Army Europe at Heidelberg, where he returned to logistics work.
Vann returned to the U.S. to attend the
Vietnam War service
Vann was voluntarily assigned to
Civilian career
Vann accepted a job in
After an assignment as province senior adviser, Vann was made Deputy for Civil Operations and Rural Development Support (CORDS) in the Third Corps Tactical Zone of Vietnam, which consisted of the twelve provinces north and west of Saigon—the part of South Vietnam most important to the US. CORDS was an integrated group that consisted of
Vann served as Deputy for
Vann was highly respected by a large segment of officers and civilians who were involved in the broader political aspects of the war because he favored small units performing aggressive patrolling instead of grandiose engagements by large units. Unlike many US soldiers, he was respectful toward the ARVN soldiers notwithstanding their low morale and was committed to training and strengthening their morale and commitment. He encouraged his personnel to engage themselves in Vietnamese society as much as possible and he constantly briefed that the Vietnam War must be envisaged as a long war at a lower level of engagement rather than a short war at a big-unit, high level of engagement.[citation needed]
On one of his trips back to the U.S. in December 1967, Vann was asked by
After his assignment to IV Corps, Vann was assigned as the senior American advisor in II Corps Military Region in the early 1970s when American involvement in the war was winding down and troops were being withdrawn. For that reason, his new job put him in charge of all United States personnel in his region, where he advised the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) commander to the region and became the first American civilian to command U.S. regular troops in combat. His position was the equivalent in responsibilities of a major general in the US Army.
Death
Three days after the
Legacy
On June 18, President Richard Nixon posthumously awarded Vann the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian citation, for his ten years of service in South Vietnam.[7] For his actions from April 23–24, 1972, Vann, ineligible for the Medal of Honor as a civilian, was also awarded (posthumously) the Distinguished Service Cross,[8] the only civilian so honored since World War II.[1]
Quotes
- "It was a miserable damn performance." (speaking of the Battle of Ap Bac)
- "If it were not for the fact that Vietnam is but a pawn in the larger East-West confrontation, and that our presence here is essential to deny the resources of this area to Communist China, then it would be damned hard to justify our support of the existing government."[10]
- "This is a political war and it calls for discrimination in killing. The best weapon for killing would be a knife, but I'm afraid we can't do it that way. The worst is an airplane. The next worst is artillery. Barring a knife, the best is a rifle — you know who you're killing."[11]
- "We don't have twelve years' experience in Vietnam. We have one year's experience twelve times over."[12]
- "In one fell swoop [President Thieu's Land to the Tiller Program] eliminated tenancy in Vietnam. All rents were suspended."[13]: 194
- "The basic fact of life is that the overwhelming majority of the population — somewhere around 95 percent — prefer the government of Vietnam to a Communist government or the government that's being offered by the other side."[13]: 348
- "These people may be the world's greatest lovers but they're not the world's greatest fighters. But they're good people and they can win a war if someone shows them how." (speaking about the South Vietnamese)[14]
- "That’s the best damn bombing I’ve seen in my 11 years over here!" (speaking about the South Vietnam Air Force pilots in Kontum 1972)[15]
- "I will turn this into a burning Hell" speaking to MACV Team 36 advisor CPT RE McCall in February 1972 regarding the planned NVA offensive in Pleiku Province."
- ”Next time I’ll make goddam sure they’re old enough”, after narrowly avoiding court martial for statutory rape, December 1959.[16]
Awards
Combat Infantryman Badge | |
Basic Army Aviator Badge | |
Basic Parachutist Badge | |
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
|
Army Distinguished Service Cross (posthumous) | |
Distinguished Flying Cross | |
Bronze Star Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | |
Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
| |
Purple Heart | |
Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumous) | |
Army Good Conduct Medal | |
American Campaign Medal | |
World War II Victory Medal
| |
Army of Occupation Medal with "Japan" clasp | |
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star | |
Korean Service Medal with four service stars | |
Vietnam Service Medal with service star | |
Vietnam Civilian Service Award | |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm | |
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
| |
United Nations Korea Medal
| |
Korean War Service Medal (posthumous) | |
Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Dates of rank
- Enlisted – 10 March 1943
- 2nd Lieutenant – 10 February 1945
- 1st Lieutenant – 17 April 1947
- Captain – 13 September 1950
- Major – 19 April 1955
- Lieutenant Colonel – 26 May 1961[17]
See also
- Robert Komer
- Neil Sheehan
- A Bright Shining Lie
- Tran Ngoc Chau
References
- ^ a b c d Kross, Peter (2007-02-20). "John Paul Vann: Man and Legend". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
Vann was credited with rescuing more than 50 wounded and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the only civilian to be so honored since World War II.
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
He had been trained to kill Germans and Japanese in the Second World War, although the war had ended before he could see combat.
- ^ ISBN 9780394484471.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ Mehren, Elizabeth (1988-10-12). "Trapped By Vietnam : Before He Could Tell the Tale of a Soldier and a War, Neil Sheehan First Had to Battle His Own Emotions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
He had five children by his wife, Mary Jane, and though they were divorced at the time he was killed in a helicopter accident in Vietnam, at the funeral she placed a rose on the coffin and told the man inside she loved him.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
He was buried at Arlington & honored by Pres. Nixon, with the posthumous award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- ^ "Distinguished Service Cross Recipients, Vietnam War, 1956–1975" (PDF). Department of Defense.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
If anything, Vann was even more intense than the way he is portrayed in the film by Bill Paxton
- ISBN 978-0679724148.
- ISBN 978-0742560086.
- ISBN 978-0195023916.
- ^ ISBN 9780547417455.
- ISBN 9780140145335.
- ISBN 9780813165820.
- ^ Sheehan, Neil (1988). A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. Random House. p. 492.
- ^ Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. Various editions from 1950 to 1962.
Sources
- Sheehan, Neil (1988). A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. New York: Random House.
External links
- Red Tanks, Troops Near Kontum
- John Paul Vann: Man and Legend article by Peter Kross
- Vann's DSC award information at the National Archives
- An American Soldier in Vietnam — The Rooster and the Tiger profile by Neil Sheehan