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John Paul Vann: Man and LegendBy Peter Kross | Vietnam | 17 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post Vann also met with the military staff of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and with presidential assistant Roswell Gilpatrick, as well as with CIA operative Maj. Gen. Edward Lansdale, who told Vann he should stick to things he knew firsthand and skip the gossip about what was going on in Saigon. But Lansdale also tried, without success, to get Vann to brief the JCS. Frustrated and seeing his career at a dead end, Vann retired from the Army in July 1963. Subscribe Today
Two years later, he returned to Vietnam as a pacification representative for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Working in the ARVN III Corps area, where he had served his previous tour, Vann was so successful that within a year he was chief of the civilian pacification program in all the provinces around Saigon. Initially, the Office of Civilian Operations had been established to manage all U.S. government civilian agencies working in Vietnam under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Embassy. In May 1967 OCO was replaced with Civilian Operations and Revolutionary Development Support under the military chain of command. Robert Komer became the MACV civilian deputy commander for CORDS, with a rank equivalent to that of a lieutenant general. Because of his track record in the field, Vann was the lead candidate to become CORDS deputy for the III Corps Tactical Zone (CTZ). Komer supported the appointment, but General William C. Westmoreland, now in command at MACV, was less than enthusiastic. Westmoreland, however, left the final decision to Lt. Gen. Fred Weyand, the newly appointed commander of U.S. II Field Forces, the senior American commander in the south of the country. Weyand, who had served as an intelligence officer in the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II, valued unconventional thinkers. While commander of the 25th Infantry Division, Weyand had learned that Vann was right far more often than he was wrong. Although Weyand predicted that Vann would be a “hair shirt,” he also knew that he would be worth the trouble. Weyand’s hunch paid off. In the run-up to the Tet Offensive of 1968, Vann was one of the few Americans besides Weyand who saw and correctly interpreted the intelligence patterns that indicated a massive VC/NVA assault on the Saigon–Long Binh–Bien Hoa area. Weyand’s insistence that Westmoreland allow him to pull more U.S. maneuver battalions away from the border areas and inside the “Saigon Circle” was the key factor that turned Tet into a military disaster for the Communists. When Maj. Gen. Ngo Dzu became the commander of ARVN IV Corps in 1970, he already had a good relationship with Vann, extending back to 1967. Dzu actually spent more time with Vann than he did with Maj. Gen. Hal McCown, who was Dzu’s official senior adviser in the IV CTZ. As U.S. forces started to draw down in Vietnam, Vann saw an opportunity to redeem his aborted military career through an alternate path, which was to replace McCown as the IV CTZ senior adviser when McCown’s tour ended in May 1971. A specific request from General Dzu was the mechanism needed to make that happen. Vann also believed he could count on support from Weyand, who was scheduled to return to Vietnam in the fall of 1970 as the deputy commanding general of MACV, which was now commanded by General Creighton Abrams. Dzu was happy to support Vann, but the whole plan almost derailed when South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu reshuffled the ARVN’s corps commanders in August 1970. With Dzu sent to command II Corps in the central highlands, Vann now had to alter his maneuvering so that he would replace Maj. Gen. Charles P. Brown as the II CTZ senior adviser. Weyand presented Vann’s case to Abrams in April 1971. Abrams, who had a relatively high opinion of Vann, was open to the suggestion, but there were still the institutional and legal hurdles of placing a civilian in a military command position. Weyand managed to convince Abrams that U.S. officers would respond to Vann’s unquestioned competence and natural leadership abilities, much as they had in III CTZ in 1967, when Vann first became the CORDS deputy there. Vann’s influence over Dzu was also a crucial factor in the decision. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures, Vietnam War
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17 Comments to “John Paul Vann: Man and Legend”
Thank You for this story!
Vietnam Vet
Larry Mandrell
By mandrell_larry@yahoo.com on Jul 7, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I MEET JOHN PAUL IN 1972 HE WAS A GREAT MAN I WAS WITH THE 4TH CAV ASIGN TO HIS UNIT AND I WAS THERE. THIS IS WENT I HEARD HE GOT KILL.
By mitchell smith on Jul 18, 2008 at 11:53 pm
While the factual information presented in this biography may be true, the most important aspect of JP Vann’s life is entirely overlooked. I worked for JP Vann in the Phoenix program. Although most aspects of this program will remain classified for years to come, eventually this too will become public knowledge and the contributions of this man will be recognized.
By Wayne Marshall on Sep 16, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I am the grandson of John Paul Vann, his son Peter is my father. Thank you for taking the time to write this article.
By Ryan Vann on Dec 6, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hello Ryan (and Peter and John A and Jesse and Patricia);
I worked for your grandfather at MAC-CORDS, IV Corps, 69-70. Considered him a mentor; changed my life along with his good friend, fellow soldier and free thinker, Col Carl Bernard.
JPV was a second father to me — though for only a short period of his life and a shorter period of mine. He was indomitable and was only brought down by the laws of physics. I have no doubt that had he survived we would have had a different and better outcome in Vietnam.
Stumbled across this article today by chance. Anyone interested should read Neil’s Bright Shining Lie. And anyone interested in contacting me, feel free; look me up on the net.
Ryan, you and your father and uncles and aunt come from the best stock. Stand proud.
Ed
By Edward Story on Feb 14, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Mr. Story,
My Grandfather is Eugene W. Vann, better known as John’s brother. He was a CMSgt in the Air Force. I’ve been in the AF almost ten years and am proud to bear our last name on my uniform. I’m putting in my package to go Green and be a Warrant Officer… your comment about being from the best stock would be awesome somewhere in my package! Wish me luck!
Jeremy
By Jeremy Vann on Mar 5, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Does anyone know what happened to John Vann’s Vietnamese daughter? Did her family leave Vietnam after 1975?
By Gary Richardson on Apr 7, 2009 at 1:29 am
Cool article. My dad was a LtC. and named me after him out of the respect he held for him. (Vo is my mom’s family name… they were not sure if any of my mom’s relatives survived the war, so they wanted me to carry the name another generation)
By Vo Vann Decker on Apr 8, 2009 at 8:45 pm
In 1972 Gene La Rouche and I drove from Cam Ranh to Qui Nhon on the day the Tet Offensive began. We were working for ITT-Federal Electric and were delivering test equipment for calibration. Three bridges were taken out behind us and we were stuck in Qui Nhon, as it came under attack.
We hitched a ride on a Huey headed back to Nha Trang, from a young Warrant Officer Pilot we met in the Officers Mess. We were diverted to Tuy Hoa, by orders from John Paul Vann. He commandeered
the Huey and Pilot to inspect mountain top microwave communication sites, that had come under attack, during the offensive.
We met Mr. Vann in passing, as he boarded the Huey and took off
for his inspection of the mountain top sites. We sat at Tuy Hoa and
listened to his radio calls, as he flew from one mountain site to the other. One particular radio transmission will always stick in my mind. He was talking to a Vietnamese Officer and said “you tell
General(can not recall his name), that if he does not have that bridge in by noon, I will have his ass on the carpet in Saigon”.
It’s difficult to convey the aura of no nonsense and dedication he
displayed,as this civilian, retired officer worked around us. I am
proud to have met and see him in action.
When our Pilot returned from the inspection flight, he told us, one
mountain top site was held by an old Vietnamese man who was hired to run the diesel generators, that powered the site. While under attack, the ARVN company fled and he manned a M-60, killing many VC on their perimeter and held the mountain top
site by himself. On another site it was a similar situation and a
American Army Major, serving in an advisory capacity, held the
mountain top firing from a bunker, and fought the VC off killing
at least a score of them, while the ARVN company fled and his Vietnamese counterpart cowered in the bunker near him. So went the war near the end
By Jack Johnstone on Apr 11, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Please note an error that I made when submitting my original comments. The incidents I described, happened during the Easter Offensive in 1972, not during a Tet Offensive. Although the memory
fades after 37 years the incidents I described, are absolutely true.
By Jack Johnstone on Apr 12, 2009 at 11:23 am
ASSLAM O ALLAIKUM….i m ALI from PAKISTAN…i just saw the movie A BRIGHT SHINNING LIFE..and i m inspired by hius personlity..he was geius..i m also in army and i have great interest in reading and knwoing abpout military leaders..and unfortunatley most of them they could not have successfull perosnal life…but he was really a hero…nation having men like him is lucky….i would love to see ppl related to hi talking or contacting me and i salute all those soldiers who sacrified their lives in veitnam………….
By ALI HUSSAIN on May 15, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Gary,
Last I heard she and her mother relocated to the US. East coast I believe. I heard Maryland. We don’t communicate with them.
Thank you Ed. I will not forget your words.
If any of you have any questions please contact me at Ryan_Vann1@msn.com
By Ryan Vann on Jun 6, 2009 at 2:52 am
I have read about JPV for many a year and he has to me seemed like a perfect hero, flawed yet brilliant, his children can be proud of who he was and what he achieved – JPV We Salute You Sir.
By thecleaner on Jun 20, 2009 at 12:50 pm
JPV has been a hero to me for years now. I first heard of him when I joined the military book club and bought the book, A Bright Shining Lie. Later, the HBO movie brought the book to life. I share the book and movie with friends, so they may know the story about a soldier who led a very interesting life.
JPV was certainly a great American and leader of men, whose life was taken too soon, as happens to many heroes.
I am just an enlisted soldier who has served in Desert Storm and Afghanistan, and respect what JPV stood for- the courage to lead from the front and tell it like it is…
By Ruperto Fiories on Aug 22, 2009 at 6:00 am
I am Eugene W. Vann, the youngest brother of John Paul Vann. I want to thank everyone for their comments about my brother who adored his family and was adored by his Mom and Dad and brothers and sister. He was our hero and is missed every day. My grandson, Jeremy R. Vann is doing his best to follow in the footsteps of this great man and we are extremely proud of him, just as we were of John. John had a human side that has never been written about. He was kind, loving , gentle and generous and that is the part of him that lives in our hearts. To put into feelings simply….he was my brother.
By Eugene W. Vann on Oct 3, 2009 at 11:18 pm
My name is Jo Vann, John Paul Vann’s sisiter-in-law. Reading the comments about John, one from Ruperto Fiores struck me…he referred to himself as,”just an enlisted soldier.” There is no such thing…every man who puts on a uniform and heads off to war to defend this great country is a National Hero and deserves the respect and gratitude of every citizen in the USA. Ruperto, you are no less a hero to me than John was and I, personally, want to thank you for your service and thank God you returned home safely. If only 15 minutes of time was bought for our country as a result of your service, that is a great tribute to John for all his efforts and it is greatly appreciated by the Vann family. May all the good things in life come your way and again, thank you.
By Jo Vann on Oct 3, 2009 at 11:40 pm