John Galvin (general)

For other people named John Galvin, see John Galvin (disambiguation).

John Galvin
Galvin in March 1991
Birth name	John Rogers Galvin
Born	May 13, 1929 Wakefield, Massachusetts
Died	September 25, 2015(2015-09-25) (aged 86) Jonesboro, Georgia
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1954–1992
Rank	General
Commands held	United States Southern Command U.S. European Command Supreme Allied Commander
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Cold War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal   Army Distinguished Service Medal   Silver Star   Legion of Merit (3)   Distinguished Flying Cross   Soldier's Medal   Bronze Star (3)   Air Medal with "V" Device
Other work	Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century

John Rogers Galvin (May 13, 1929 – September 25, 2015) was an American army general who served as the sixth dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a member of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century.

Career

Galvin began his service as an enlisted soldier in the Massachusetts Army National Guard from 1947 to 1950 before he received an appointment to United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He later earned a Master of Arts degree in English from Columbia University and completed a fellowship at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971. Galvin rose through the ranks and served as commander of VII Corps from July 1983 to February 1985.

Galvin's career included the rare opportunity to command two different Department of Defense Unified Commands. He served as Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command in Panama from 1985 to 1987 and Commander in Chief, United States European Command from June 26, 1987, to June 23, 1992. During his tenure as Commander U.S. European Command he also served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).

During his time as SACEUR many stay-behind networks in Europe were dismantled, a process that started with the revelations by Italy's then prime minister, Giulio Andreotti, who disclosed to the Italian Parliament the existence of a Gladio stay-behind anti-communist paramilitary network headed by NATO and present in most European countries.

Personal life

Galvin lived with his wife Ginny and had four daughters. One of his daughters, Beth, is a medical reporter for WAGA, the FOX affiliate in Atlanta. The Galvin Middle School in Wakefield, Massachusetts, is named after him. The United States Military Academy awarded Galvin (Class of '54) the 1997 Distinguished Graduate Award. On September 25, 2015, he died in Jonesboro, Georgia at the age of 86.

Galvin's awards and decorations include

Badge	Combat Infantryman Badge
1st Row	Defense Distinguished Service Medal
2nd Row	Army Distinguished Service Medal	Silver Star Medal	Legion of Merit (with two oak leaf clusters)
3rd Row	Distinguished Flying Cross	Soldier's Medal	Bronze Star Medal (with two oak leaf clusters)
4th Row	Air Medal with V Device for valor	National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star	Army Service Ribbon
5th Row	Army Overseas Service Ribbon	Great Cross of Merit with star of the Federal Republic of Germany	Bavarian Order of Merit
6th Row	Ordre de la Légion d'honneur Grand Officier	Spanish Order of Military Merit Grand Cross	Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Cross, 1992
Badge	Senior Parachutist Badge

• 8th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

Bibliography

• Galvin, John (1969). Air Assault: the Development of Airmobile.
• Galvin, John (1997). Three Men of Boston. ISBN 1574881116.
• Galvin, John (2006). The Minute Men: The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution. ISBN 1597970700.

See also

• Notable graduates of West Point

External links

• Interview with General Galvin from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
• U.S. Commission on National Security "people" page
• NATO biography