John William Vessey Jr.: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Vessey was promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] in 1970, and assigned as commander of U.S. Army Supply Thailand, a logistics support area for soldiers serving in Vietnam. He commanded U.S. military activities in [[Laos]] from 1973 to 1974, when he was promoted to [[Major general (United States)|major general]] as commander of the [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Infantry Division]]. In 1975, Vessey was promoted to [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]] and assigned as the Army's deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, G-3. He was promoted to [[General (United States)|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 [[United Nations Command#1953 onwards|Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command]]. He served in 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 August 18, 2016. He was buried at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in [[Little Falls, Minnesota|Little Falls]].

==Early life and education==