Lữ Mộng Lan | |
|---|---|
 Lữ Mộng Lan | |
| Born | (1927-09-28)28 September 1927 |
| Died | 28 May 2021(2021-05-28) (aged 93) |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Service years | 1951 – 25 October 1955 (Vietnamese National Army) 26 October 1955 – 30 April 1975 (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands | 25th Division 23rd Division 10th Division II Corps |
Lữ Mộng Lan (28 September 1927 – 28 May 2021) was aLieutenant general of theSouth VietnameseArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).
Lan was born inQuảng Trị,French Indochina on 28 September 1927. In 1944, he earned a Diplome D'Etudes Primaires Superieures Indochinoise (DEPSI), from Lycee Khai Dinh, located inHuế.
Lan served as Company commander, 1951 in theVietnamese National Army then as Deputy Battalion commander, 1952; Regimental Chief of Staff, 1954; Division Chief of Staff, 1955. In the ARVN in 1957, Lan graduated fromCommand and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,Joint General Staff from 1958. He was then appointed commander of the25th Division in 1962. He was appointed commander of the23rd Division in 1964. He was appointed commander of the10th Division in 1965.
By the end of 1965 the US advisers to the 10th Division regarded Lan as "moody and vacillatory" and "a marginal commander who would have to be worked with." They gave Lan high marks for his "perceptiveness and dexterity in civil affairs and troop morale" but saw his interest in local politics as too distracting. Although they found his three regimental commanders "capable and willing people," they felt that it was too early to judge if the Division was going to jell into a fighting unit.COMUSMACV GeneralWilliam Westmoreland predicted that combined operations with the US1st Infantry Division and the173rd Airborne Brigade would inspire the Division to higher standards.[1]: 115–6
From September 1966 Lan served as the deputy chief of staff for training and director of the Central Training Command.[1]: 309
In March 1968 Lan succeededNguyễn Phước Vĩnh Lộc asII Corps commander, he was not necessarily regarded as an improvement byMACV. As commander of the 25th, 23rd and 18th Divisions between 1962 and 1966, he had received poor ratings from almost all of his American advisers, he was, however, an ardent supporter ofPresidentNguyễn Văn Thiệu and could be expected to follow the dictates of the Saigon government more closely than his predecessor.[1]: 309
In August 1970, Thiệu replaced Lan as II Corps commander with GeneralNgô Du.[1]: 364 Lan became inspector general of the armed forces and later commandant of the National Defense College.[1]: 367
Lan died inVirginia on 28 May 2021, at the age of 93.[2]
Commander of theNational Order of Vietnam
Army Distinguished Service Order, First Class
Air Force Distinguished Service Order, Second Class
Navy Distinguished Service Order, Second Class
Gallantry Cross (10 with palm, 2 with gold star, 1 with silver star, 1 with bronze star)
Air Gallantry Cross Gold Wing Ribbon
Hazardous Service Medal
Leadership Medal
Armed Forces Honor Medal, First Class
Staff Service Medal, Second Class
Civil Actions Medal, Second Class
Training Service Medal, Second Class
Good Conduct Medal, Fifth Class
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Military Service Medal, Fifth Class
Chuong My Medal, First Class
Thailand :_ribbon.svg)
Knight Commander of theOrder of the White Elephant
South Korea :
Order of Military Merit, Eulji Medal
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.