John W. Nicholson

John William Nicholson Sr.
Born	(1934-02-22) February 22, 1934 (age 91)
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	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

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

"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

Combat Infantryman Badge

Senior Parachutist Badge

Ranger tab

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

Army Staff Identification Badge

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Combat Service Identification Badge

503rd Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

Vietnamese Parachutist Badge

? Overseas Service Bars

Army Distinguished Service Medal

Silver Star

Defense Superior Service Medal

Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster

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

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one bronze service star

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

Vietnam Gallantry Cross with two palms

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

Vietnam Campaign Medal

References

1. 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.
2. "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.
3. "BGEN Jack Nicholson, USA (Ret.)". The Institute of World Politics. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
4. McVeigh, Alex (30 October 2009). "Soldier gets Silver Star 45 years after wartime action". The Pentagram. Arlington, Virginia: The Pentagon. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
5. "Code of Support Foundation advisory board". codeofsupportfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2017.