John W. Nicholson
John William Nicholson Sr. | |
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| Born | February 22, 1934 |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1956–1986 |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
John William "Jack" Nicholson Sr. (born February 22, 1934)[1] is an American retired Brigadier General of the United States Army who was appointed secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) by President George W. Bush in January 2005.[2]
Biography
[edit]Prior to this appointment, he served as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs in the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he directed the National Cemetery Administration.
Born and raised in Iowa,[1] he is a 1956 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he received the General MacArthur Leadership Award for his class, and holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania.[3] He is an airborne ranger combat infantryman and served two and one-half years with infantry units in Vietnam. Other overseas assignments during his 30-year Army career included duty in Germany, Korea, Lebanon and Switzerland. Recommended for a Silver Star for action in Vietnam, the award was approved in 2009.[4]
He currently serves on the board of advisors of the Code of Support Foundation, a nonprofit military service organization.[5]
He is the brother of Jim Nicholson, a former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Chair of the Republican National Committee. His son John W. Nicholson Jr. is a 1982 graduate of West Point and was the U.S. Army general in charge of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan for more than 2 years. Nicholson Sr. and his wife Sophie have five children and thirteen grandchildren.[3]
Silver Star action
[edit]"On Dec. 27, 1963, then Maj. Nicholson was serving as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Regional Forces and South Vietnamese Popular Force. During an eight-hour battle, their force was reduced from 200 to 40, and Nicholson directed friendly fire and mortar fire to help evacuate 13 wounded soldiers through enemy territory."[4]
Awards and decorations
[edit]
 Army Distinguished Service Medal
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 Silver Star
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 Defense Superior Service Medal
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  Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and three oak leaf clusters
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 Meritorious Service Medal
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   Air Medal with V Device and bronze award numeral 48
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 Army Commendation Medal
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 National Defense Service Medal
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  Vietnam Service Medal with two service stars
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 Korea Defense Service Medal
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 Army Service Ribbon
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 Army Overseas Service Ribbon
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 Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 2nd class
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 Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
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 Vietnam Campaign Medal
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References
[edit]- ^ a b U.S. Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired Lists. Vol. I. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 1957. p. 633. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "Former Directors & Under Secretaries for Memorial Affairs, 1973-2011". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ a b "BGEN Jack Nicholson, USA (Ret.)". The Institute of World Politics. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ a b McVeigh, Alex (30 October 2009). "Soldier gets Silver Star 45 years after wartime action". The Pentagram. Arlington, Virginia: The Pentagon. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ "Code of Support Foundation advisory board". codeofsupportfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- 1934 births
- Living people
- United States Military Academy alumni
- Military personnel from Iowa
- United States Army Rangers
- United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
- Recipients of the Silver Star
- University of Pennsylvania alumni
- Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- United States Army generals
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)