101st Airborne Veteran Reflects on Two Tours in Vietnam

John Howard is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, having graduated from West Point in June 1964 and retired in October 1992. After being assigned to the 101st Airborne, he was deployed to South Vietnam in May 1965. Upon completing his first tour in Vietnam, he was stationed at Fort Ord, CA, to assist in training troops. In the fall of 1967, Howard was deployed to the DMZ in South Korea, where skirmishes between North Korean and U.S. forces were becoming more frequent. In the spring of 1972, now a major, Howard was sent back to South Vietnam to serve as an adviser to the Vietnamese Airborne Division. He was wounded during the summer of that year while attempting to retake Quang Tri City. In January of the following year, the Paris Accords were signed, and Howard returned to the United States in March 1973. He continued his Army career, eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general, from which he retired in October 1992. Howard later wrote the book "First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne", which provides detailed accounts of his tours in Vietnam. Thank you for your service, John, and welcome home! For inquiries or to suggest a veteran or historical witness who would be comfortable being interviewed on my channel, please email me at [email protected]. Preserving history is important! #vietnam #veteran #war