John William "Jack" Nicholson Sr. (born February 22, 1934) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

retired Brigadier General of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who was appointed secretary of the

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(ABMC) by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

in January 2005.

Biography

Prior to this appointment, he served as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs in the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

, where he directed the

National Cemetery Administration The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. ...

. Born and raised in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, he is a 1956 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, 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 The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. 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 The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

for action in Vietnam, the award was approved in 2009. He currently serves on the board of advisors of the

Code of Support Foundation The Code of Support Foundation (COSF) is a U.S. nonprofit organization that provides assistance to military service members, veterans and their families, many of whom face multiple and complex challenges. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the group ...

, a nonprofit military service organization. He is the brother of Jim Nicholson, a former

Secretary of Veterans Affairs The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a m ...

and Chair of the Republican National Committee. His son

John W. Nicholson Jr. John William "Mick" Nicholson Jr. (born 8 May 1957) is a retired United States Army four-star General (United States), general who last commanded U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and the 41-nation NATO-led Resolute Support Mission from 2 Ma ...

is a 1982 graduate of West Point and was the U.S. Army

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in charge of the

Resolute Support Mission Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Dece ...

in Afghanistan for more than 2 years. Nicholson Sr. and his wife Sophie have five children and thirteen grandchildren.

Silver Star action

"On Dec. 27, 1963, then Maj. Nicholson was serving as an advisor to the

South Vietnamese Regional Forces The South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State ...

and

South Vietnamese Popular Force The South Vietnamese Popular Force (, PF) (originally the Self-Defense Corps) was a part-time local militia of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese Popular Force mainly protected homes and village ...

. 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."

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, John W. 1934 births Living people Place of birth missing (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)