Biography Of Gen. John Vessey, President's POW/MIA Emissary

[nigel allen]

Here is a press release from the White House.

Biography Of Gen. John Vessey, President's POW/MIA Emissary
To: National Desk
Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2100

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Following is the biography
of General John Vessey, Jr., the President's Special Emissary
for POW/MIA Affairs.

General John W. Vessey, Jr. was appointed the tenth Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense by President Ronald
Reagan June 18, 1982. He was reappointed to a second two-year term in
1984. In this capacity, he served as the senior military advisor to
the President, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security
Council. General Vessey served as Vice Chief of Staff, United States
Army, prior to his appointment as Chairman.
General Vessey was born and raised in Minnesota. He enlisted in
the Minnesota National Guard in May, 1939, and was called to active
duty in February 1941. He rose to the rank of first sergeant before
receiving a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant of Field
Artillery at the Anzio beachhead May 6, 1944.
Much of the first 30 years of General Vessey's military service
was with combat divisions. His assignments included duty with the
34th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy during World War II,
the 4th Infantry Division in Germany, two tours with the 3rd Armored
Division in Germany, the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam, and
command of the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Carson,
Colo.
In 1970, General Vessey returned to Southeast Asia for his first
assignment as a brigadier general. He served in Thailand, then in
Laos, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. military
operations until the cease-fire was signed in Laos in February 1973.
Upon promotion to Lieutenant General in 1975, General Vessey
became the U.S. Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and
Plans. He was promoted to general in 1976 and assigned to Korea as
Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command: Commander, US Forces,
Korea; and Commanding General, Eight US Army. In 1978, he also became
the first Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea-United States
Combined Forces Command. General Vessey returned to Washington in
July 1979 to become the Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army.
General Vessey's military schooling includes the Special Basic,
Associate Advanced, and Advanced courses of the Field Artillery
School; the Command and General Staff College: the Armed Forces Staff
College; the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; and the Army
Aviation School.
He is the recipient of numerous U.S. military decorations and
awards including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished
Service Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army
Distinguished Service Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has also been
decorated by the Governments of Belgium, Chile, Colombia, El
Salvador, France, Greece, Honduras, Korea, Luxembourg, Norway,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, and Uruguay.
General Vessey's civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, Md., and a
Master of Science degree from The George Washington University,
Washington, D.C. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh's
Management Program for Executives. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi
Honor Society. General Vessey was awarded an honorary Doctorate of
Letters from Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota; an honorary
Doctor of Laws from the University of Maryland; and honorary Doctor
of Laws from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and an honorary Doctor of
Military Science from Norwich University, Northfield, Vt.
In addition to his military duties, General Vessey serves on the
Board of Governors of the American Red Cross; Youth Service, USA,
Inc.; National Flag Day Committee; and is Co-Chairman, Awards
Committee, American Academy of Achievement. He is also a member of
the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Policy Council of
the International Management and Development Institute (INDI). Among
his civilian awards honoring his public service are the State of
Minnesota Distinguished Service Medal; the Alumni Achievement Award
and the Distinguished Public Service Award, The George Washington
University; The Distinguished Alumnus Award, American Academy of
Achievement; the Reserve Officers Association Minuteman Hall of Fame
Award; the Admiral John M. Will Award, New York Council of the Navy
League; the Maxwell A. Kriendler Award, Air Force Association,
Irongate Chapter; the David Sarnoff Award, Armed Forces
Communications and Electronics Association; and the National League
of Families honorary award recognizing efforts on behalf of prisoners
and missing in Southeast Asia.
General Vessey is married to the former Avis Fund of Minneapolis.
They have two sons, John III, a Foreign Service Officer, and David, a
Warrant Officer with the U.S. Army; and a daughter, Sarah Vessey
Krawczyk.
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