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John A. Wickham | |
|---|---|
 Wickham in August 1988 | |
| Born | (1928-06-25)25 June 1928 Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 11 May 2024(2024-05-11) (aged 95) Oro Valley, Arizona, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1987 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of the United States Army Eighth Army United States Forces Korea United Nations Command 101st Airborne Division 1st Brigade,3rd Infantry Division 5th Battalion,7th Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star Medal |
John Adams Wickham Jr. (25 June 1928 – 11 May 2024) was aUnited States Armygeneral who served as theUnited States Army Chief of Staff from 1983 to 1987.
Wickham was born on 25 June 1928, inDobbs Ferry, New York. He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1950, where he later served as a social sciences instructor, from 1956 to 1960.[1]
Upon graduation from the Military Academy in 1950, Wickham was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the18th Infantry Regiment and then the6th Infantry Regiment inWest Berlin. He served as a platoon leader and company executive officer in the511th Airborne Infantry Regiment and served as an aide-de-camp to the commander in the37th Infantry Division and10th Infantry Division. He received master's degrees in economics and government fromHarvard University and was a graduate of theNational War College and Armed Forces Staff College.
Wickham then served as operations officer of the 1st Battle Group,5th Cavalry Regiment, inSouth Korea, and was executive officer toChief of Staff of the United States Army, GeneralHarold Johnson. Later he commanded in combat the 5th Battalion,7th Cavalry Regiment,1st Cavalry Division inSouth Vietnam, where he was seriously wounded by a satchel charge explosive. He made his way to a foxhole and continued to command his men. On his way there he was hit 15 times by AK-47 fire. The NVA eventual called off the attack. Wickham was put up for the Distinguished Service Cross but received the Silver Star for his actions that day. Wickham spent over a year in the hospital recovering. He later commanded the 1st Brigade,3rd Infantry Division inWest Germany.
Wickham returned to South Vietnam as the Deputy Chief of Staff,Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. He then commanded the101st Airborne Division, was director of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and afterward, as a four-star general, became Commander in Chief of theUnited Nations Command and Commander of theUnited States Forces Korea andEighth Army in South Korea.
In 1979, Wickham played a leading role in calming political tensions after the assassination of South Korean PresidentPark Chung Hee, and wrote a bookKorea on the Brink about the dangerous period. He also served as senior military assistant toSecretaries of DefenseJames R. Schlesinger andDonald Rumsfeld. In 1983, presidentRonald Reagan appointed WickhamChief of Staff of the United States Army, the last Korean War-era veteran to be named to the post.
AfterChun Doo-hwan seized control of South Korea in a military coup following the 1979 assassination of South Korean presidentPark Chung Hee, nationwide pro-democracy protests erupted. Appalled by the brutal repression of student protests at Chonnam National University inGwangju, protests escalated to the level of city-wideuprising.[2] Martial law forces responded by escalating the violence, opening fire on unarmed protesters. On 20 May, the same day that special-forces paratroopers shot protesters near Gwangju station, Wickham received a request from the ruling military junta to transfer OPCON for the ROK Army 20th division. After consultation with US ambassadorWilliam H. Gleysteen and colleagues in Washington, Wickham approved the OPCON transfer. By 2230 hours on the same evening, elements of the 20th division had already been moved to Gwangju.[3] The next day, the violence escalated, including indiscriminate firing on civilians from helicopters.[4] By 27 May, the 20th division, along with four other divisions, had been used to re-take the city in a large-scale military assault leading to numerous civilian deaths and casualties. When asked to testify about the massacre in 1989 for the South Korean National Assembly, Wickham maintained that he had no way not to approve of the OPCON transfer. Many Koreans believe, however, that his response to the notification of OPCON transfer amounted to a tacit approval of the massacre.[5] despite the 20th Division being a South Korean military formation and not a formation of the United States of America.
Wickham retired from the United States Army in 1987 after 37 years of active service. He was twice awarded theSilver Star for battlefield valor, as well as theBronze Star Medal for valor, thePurple Heart, tenAir Medals, fourLegions of Merit, fourDefense Distinguished Service Medals, twoArmy Distinguished Service Medals, aNavy Distinguished Service Medal andAir Force Distinguished Service Medal, theCombat Infantryman Badge,Expert Infantryman Badge,Parachutist Badge, and 21 foreign decorations, including theRepublic of Korea's highest military decoration. He was named byArmy Times as one of the ten leaders who most changed the United States Army. The Association of Graduates United States Military Academy presented him with the Distinguished Graduate Award in 2005, and he received the InfantryDoughboy Award in 2006.
Wickham served as Town Council President inSun City, Arizona and as an elder at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church inTucson, Arizona. He served as chairman of the board forHoneywell Federal Systems andNortel Federal Systems, and as director of several other corporations. He was named vice chairman for the United States-China National Committee and has served as a member of theSecretary of Defense Policy Board. He is also active in theUnited Way, and a member of theAlfalfa Club, andCouncil on Foreign Relations. For the past 20 years he continues as the Military and Foreign Affairs speaker on The Buckmaster Show, KVOI radio in Tucson, Arizona. In his autobiographyMy American Journey, GeneralColin Powell mentioned serving with Wickham and praised him as "every inch a Soldier".
Wickham died inOro Valley, Arizona, on 11 May 2024, at the age of 95.[6]
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  | Defense Distinguished Service Medal with three bronzeoak leaf clusters[7] |
 | Army Distinguished Service Medal[7] with oak leaf cluster |
 | Navy Distinguished Service Medal[7] |
 | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal[7] |
 | Silver Star with oak leaf cluster[7] |
 | Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters[7] |
  | Bronze Star Medal with"V" Device |
 | Meritorious Service Medal |
   | Air Medal (10 awards) |
 | Army Commendation Medal |
 | Purple Heart |
 | Valorous Unit Award |
 | World War II Victory Medal |
 | Army of Occupation Medal |
 | National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster |
   | Vietnam Service Medal with eightService stars |
 | Army Service Ribbon |
  | Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronzeaward numeral 2 |
 | Republic of Korea Taeguk Medal |
 | National Order of Vietnam Knight's degree |
 | Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (two awards) |
 | Vietnam Campaign Medal |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1982–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
