John Paul Vann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | John Paul Tripp |
| Born | (1924-07-02)July 2, 1924 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 1972(1972-06-09) (aged 47) Kon Tum,South Vietnam |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces (1943–1947) United States Army (1947–1963) |
| Years of service | 1943–1963 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal (2) Army Commendation Medal (2) Purple Heart |
| Alma mater | Rutgers University(BS) Syracuse University(MBA) |
John Paul Vann (bornJohn Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was alieutenant colonel in theUnited States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in theVietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietnam War reached its peak, he returned to service as a civilian under the auspices of theUnited 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 thePresidential Medal of Freedom and was the only civilian in Vietnam to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. He died on June 9, 1972, in a helicopter crash in Vietnam just after the Battle of Kontum.
Born John Paul Tripp inNorfolk, 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 atFerrum College through the patronage of a wealthy member of his church. He graduated from its high school in 1941, and from itsjunior college program in 1943. With the onset ofWorld War II, Vann sought to become an aviator/pilot.
In 1943, at the age of 18, Vann enlisted in theUnited States Army Air Force. He underwent pilot training, transferred to navigation school, and was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in 1945.[1] However, the war ended before he could see action.[2]
Vann married Mary Jane Allen ofRochester, 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, theUnited States Air Force, Vann chose to remain in the Army and transferred to theinfantry. He was assigned toKorea, and then Japan, as a logistics officer. When theKorean War began in June 1950, Vann coordinated the transportation of his25th Infantry Division to Korea. Vann joined his unit, which was placed on the criticalPusan Perimeter until the amphibiousInchon landing relieved the beleaguered forces.
In late 1950, in the wake of China's entrance into the war and the retreat of allied forces, now-Captain Vann was given his first command, aRanger company, theEighth Army Ranger Company. He led the unit on reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines for three months, before a serious illness in one of his children resulted in his transfer back to the United States. While assigned toRutgers University'sROTC program as an assistant professor of military science and tactics,[5] he received aBachelor of Science degree with a concentration ineconomics andstatistics in 1954.[3]
In 1954, Vann joined the 16th Infantry Regiment inSchweinfurt, Germany, becoming the head of the regiment's Heavy Mortar Company. A year later, he was promoted tomajor and transferred to Headquarters U.S. Army Europe atHeidelberg, where he returned to logistics work.
Vann returned to the U.S. to attend theCommand and General Staff College (a prerequisite for further promotion) in 1957. During this period, he earned aMaster of Business Administration degree fromSyracuse University in 1959 and completedall course requirements for aPhD inpublic administration at the university'sMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He was promoted tolieutenant colonel in 1961.[5][3]
Vann was voluntarily assigned toSouth Vietnam in 1962 as an adviser to ColonelHuỳnh Văn Cao, commander of theARVNIV Corps. In the thick of the anti-guerrilla war against theViet Cong, Vann became concerned with the way in which the war was being prosecuted, in particular the disastrousBattle of Ap Bac. Directing the battle from a spotter plane overhead, he earned theDistinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in taking enemy fire. He attempted to draw public attention to the problems through press contacts such asNew York Times reporterDavid Halberstam, directing much of his ire towardsMACV commander GeneralPaul D. Harkins. Vann completed his Vietnam assignment in March 1963 and left the Army within a few months, having completed 20 years of service.[3]
Vann accepted a job inDenver, Colorado with defense contractorMartin Marietta. Although he succeeded there for nearly two years, he missed Vietnam and angled to return.[3] Vann returned to Vietnam in March 1965 as an official of the Agency for International Development (AID).[6]
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 ofUSAID,U.S. Information Service,Central Intelligence Agency andState Department along with U.S. Army personnel to provide needed manpower. Among other undertakings, CORDS was responsible for thePhoenix Program, which involved neutralization of the Viet Cong infrastructure.[citation needed]
Vann served as Deputy forCivil Operations and Rural Development Support CORDS III (i.e., commander of all civilian and military advisers in the Third Corps Tactical Zone) until November 1968 when he was assigned to the same position in IV Corps, which consisted of the provinces south of Saigon in theMekong Delta.[citation needed]
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 byWalt Rostow, an advocate of more troops andJohnson administrationNational Security Advisor, whether the U.S. would be over the worst of the war in six months: "Oh hell no, Mr. Rostow", replied Vann, "I'm a born optimist. I think we can hold out longer than that." Vann's wit and iconoclasm did not endear him to many military and civilian careerists but he was a hero to many young civilian and military officers who understood the limits of conventional warfare in the irregular environment of Vietnam.[citation needed]
After his assignment to IV Corps, Vann was assigned as the senior American advisor inII 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 amajor general in the US Army.
Three days after theBattle of Kontum, Vann was killed when hishelicopter crashed into a grove of trees near a village cemetery. He was 47 years old. He was buried on June 16, 1972, in Section 11 ofArlington National Cemetery. His funeral was attended by GeneralWilliam Westmoreland, Major GeneralEdward Lansdale, Lieutenant ColonelLucien Conein, SenatorEdward Kennedy, andDaniel Ellsberg.
On June 18, PresidentRichard 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 theMedal of Honor as a civilian, was also awarded (posthumously) theDistinguished Service Cross,[8] the only civilian so honored since World War II.[1]
Neil Sheehan wrote aPulitzer Prize-winning Vietnam history and biography of Vann,A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, in which Sheehan also examines two of Vann's alleged career-stunting incidents involving morals charges during his service in West Germany and atFort Leavenworth, Kansas, and how these possibly affected Vann's future actions and resulting career path both in and after Vietnam.[1] In 1998,HBO made the filmA Bright Shining Lie, adapted from the book, withBill Paxton playing the role of Vann.[9]
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 | Combat Infantryman Badge |
 | Basic Army Aviator Badge |
 | Basic Parachutist Badge |
 | 25th Infantry DivisionShoulder Sleeve Insignia |
 | Army Distinguished Service Cross(posthumous) |
 | Distinguished Flying Cross |
  | Bronze Star Medal with one bronzeoak leaf cluster |
 | Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster |
 | Purple Heart |
.svg) | 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 bronzeservice 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 |
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.
He had been trained to kill Germans and Japanese in the Second World War, although the war had ended before he could see combat.
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.
He was buried at Arlington & honored by Pres. Nixon, with the posthumous award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
If anything, Vann was evenmore intense than the way he is portrayed in the film by Bill Paxton
