John William Vessey Jr. (29 June 1922 – 18 August 2016) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of general, and was most notable for his service as the tenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A native of Minneapolis, Vessey began his 46-year military career in 1939 when he joined the Minnesota Army National Guard's 59th Field Artillery Brigade, a unit of the 34th Infantry Division. His unit was activated for World War II, and he took part in combat in the North African and Italian Campaigns. Vessey received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant during the Battle of Anzio, and served as a field artillery forward observer until the end of the war. After the war, Vessey advanced through positions of increasing rank and responsibility. During the Vietnam War, he served as executive officer of the 25th Infantry Division Artillery and acting commander of 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, and he received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism during the Battle of Suoi Tre. He served as commander of the 3rd Armored Division Artillery from 1967 to 1969, and division chief of staff from 1969 to 1970.
Vessey was promoted to brigadier general in 1970, and assigned as commander of U.S. Army Support Command, Thailand (USARSUPTHAI), a logistics support area for soldiers and airmen serving in Vietnam and Thailand. He commanded U.S. military activities in Laos from 1973 to 1974, when he was promoted to major general as commander of the 4th Infantry Division. In 1975, Vessey was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned as the Army's deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, G-3. He was promoted to general in 1976, and named to command United States Forces Korea and the Eighth United States Army. In 1978, Vessey also assumed command of the Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command. He served in South Korea until 1979, when he was assigned as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan named Vessey as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served until retiring in October 1985. After leaving the Army, Vessey became involved in efforts to account for military personnel listed as missing in action, and made several trips to Southeast Asia to search for remains as part of resolving the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Vessey died in North Oaks, Minnesota, on 18 August 2016. He was buried at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls.
Early life and education
Vessey was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 29 June 1922, the son of John William Vessey and Emily Katherine (Roche) Vessey. He attended the schools of Minneapolis, and was 16 in May 1939 when he claimed to be 18 so that he could enlist in the Minnesota Army National Guard. Vessey was assigned as a motorcycle courier Vessey was with the 34th when it went ashore on the Anzio beachhead in Italy in May 1944; there he received a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant, after which he served as a forward observer. From 1976 to 1979, he served in the Republic of Korea as Commanding General of the Eighth U.S. Army; Commander of U.S. Forces, Korea; and Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command. His tour was marked by increased military tension, caused by evidence of a North Korean buildup and by President Jimmy Carter's 1977 announcement that U.S. ground forces would be withdrawn. Vessey worked to assuage South Korean concerns and change the President's decision.
Believing that it was a mistake to commit a superpower's forces to a peacekeeping mission, Vessey and the Joint Chiefs in 1982 and 1983 advised against deployment of a Marine contingent to Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force intended to restore peace among warring factions there. On his return home, Vessey faced a firestorm from the American news media over the Pentagon's actions barring journalists from the battlefield until the third day of the operation. Vessey responded to the criticism by appointing a study group, known as the Sidle Panel, which recommended new guidelines for military-media relations that he embraced as Pentagon policy the following year. The President pointed out that Vessey had served in many leadership positions in his career and stated:
In retirement, he served President Reagan and his successors, Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as a special emissary to Vietnam on the question of American service personnel missing from the Vietnam War. He was also awarded the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1992.
Personal life
Vessey married Avis Claire Funk in 1945. They had two sons, John III and David, and a daughter, Sarah.
Vessey died in North Oaks, Minnesota, on 18 August 2016, aged 94.
Summary of service
Source:
Dates of rank
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! Rank insignia !! Rank !! Date
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||No insignia || Private<br />(Minnesota National Guard) || May 1939
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||30px || First Sergeant || 1 September 1942
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||15px || Second Lieutenant || 6 May 1944<br />(Battlefield Commission)
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||15px || First Lieutenant || 1 April 1946<br />(permanent on June 13, 1951)
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||40px || Captain || 4 January 1951<br />(permanent on 29 October 1954)
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||40px || Major || 14 May 1958<br />(permanent on 26 January 1962)
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||40px || Lieutenant Colonel || 7 January 1963<br />(permanent on 2 January 1969)
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||60px || Colonel || 28 November 1967<br />(permanent 12 March 1973)
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||33px || Brigadier General || 1 April 1971<br />(permanent 23 December 1974)
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||66px || Major General|| 1 August 1974<br />(permanent 23 August 1976)
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||99px || Lieutenant General || 1 September 1975
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||132px || General || 1 November 1976
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Awards and decorations
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!Badge
| colspan="7"|Army Aviator Badge
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!1st row
| colspan="3"|Distinguished Service Cross
| colspan="3"|Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
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!2nd row
| colspan="3"|Army Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
| colspan="3"|Navy Distinguished Service Medal
| colspan="3"|Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
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!3rd row
| colspan="3"|Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
| colspan="3"|Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
| colspan="3"|Purple Heart
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!4th row
| colspan="3"|Air Medal with award numeral 4
| colspan="3"|Joint Service Commendation Medal
| colspan="3"|Army Commendation Medal with "V" device
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!5th row
| colspan="3"|Army Good Conduct Medal
| colspan="3"|American Defense Service Medal
| colspan="3"|American Campaign Medal
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!6th row
| colspan="3"|European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver and bronze campaign stars
| colspan="3"|World War II Victory Medal
| colspan="3"|Army of Occupation Medal
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!7th row
| colspan="3"|National Defense Service Medal with bronze campaign star
| colspan="3"|Vietnam Service Medal with two campaign stars
| colspan="3"|Croix de Guerre with bronze palm (France)
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!8th row
| colspan="3"|Order of Military Merit, Taeguk Cordon (Korea)
| colspan="3"|Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with bronze palm
| colspan="3"|Vietnam Campaign Medal
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!Unit awards
| colspan="3"|Presidential Unit Citation
| colspan="3"|Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
| colspan="3"|Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation
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!Pocket Badges
| colspan="3"|Army Staff Identification Badge
| colspan="3"|Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
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!Civilian Awards
| colspan="3"|Presidential Medal of Freedom
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|}
Assignments
- 1939: National Guard enlisted service
- 1941: 34th Division Artillery, Camp Claiborne, LA, Northern Ireland, North Africa, and Italy as S/Sgt, 1st Sgt, and then battlefield commission to 2Lt (Communications Officer/Forward Observer/Air Observer)
- 1945: US Army Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, OK
- 1949: Student, Field Artillery Officers Advanced Course, Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, OK
- 1950: Battery Officer; then Battery Commander, 18th Field Artillery, Fort Sill, OK
- 1951: Assistant S-3 and Liaison Officer; then Headquarters Battery Commander; then Assistant S-3 and Liaison Officer, 4th Infantry Division Artillery US Army, Europe
- 1954: Student, Artillery Officer Advanced Course, Artillery and Guided Missile School, Fort Sill, OK
- 1955: Battery Commander, Artillery and Guided Missile School Officer Candidate School
- 1956: Gunnery Instructor, Artillery and Guided Missile School, Fort Sill, OK
- 1957: Student, US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS
- 1958: Artillery Section, Eighth US Army with duty station CINCPAC Coordination Center, Philippines
- 1958: Chief, Operations Branch, Artillery Section, Eighth US Army, Korea
- 1959: Assignment Officer, then Executive Officer, Artillery Officers Division, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Washington, D.C.
- 1963: Student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA
- 1963: Commander, 2d Battalion, 73d Artillery, 3d Armored Division, US Army, Europe
- 1965: Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C.
- 1966: Executive Officer, 25th Infantry Division Artillery, Vietnam
- 1967: Commander, 3d Armored Division Artillery, US Army, Europe
- 1969: Chief of Staff, 3d Armored Division, US Army, Europe
- 1970: Student, US Army Primary Helicopter School, Fort Wolters, TX; later US Army Aviation School, Fort Rucker, AL
- 1970: Commanding General, US Army Support Command, Thailand
- 1972: Deputy Chief, JUSMAGTHAI (Chief MAAG, Laos)
- 1973: Director of Operations, Office Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Washington, D.C.
- 1974: Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, CO
- 1975: Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, US Army, Washington, D.C.
- 1976: Commanding General, Eighth US Army; and Commander in Chief, US Forces, Korea; and Commander in Chief, United Nations Command
- 1978: Commander in Chief, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command, Korea
- 1979: Vice Chief of Staff, US Army, Washington, D.C.
- 1982: Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.