 |
John William Nicholson Sr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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]
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]
"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]
 Army Distinguished Service Medal |
 Silver Star |
 Defense Superior Service Medal |
  |
   Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and three oak leaf clusters |
 Meritorious Service Medal |
   Air Medal with V Device and bronze award numeral 48 |
 Army Commendation Medal |
 National Defense Service Medal |
  |
  Vietnam Service Medal with two service stars |
 Korea Defense Service Medal |
 Army Service Ribbon |
 Army Overseas Service Ribbon |
 Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 2nd class |
 |
 Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation |
 Vietnam Campaign Medal |
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