| Bringing to remembrance pleasant
events with classmates no longer here...
| John Daniel Herren - 09/10/34 - 02/07/26 |
| | |
 |
John Daniel Herren
No. 22136
5016 Scarsdale Road
Bethesda, MD 20816
Died February 7, 2026
|
| |
| |
John Daniel Herren was born on September 10, 1934
at Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia. One of two sons of LTG Thomas W. Herren
and Lillian C. Herren, John grew up an army brat, living in various
Army posts throughout the South and overseas in South Korea and
Japan. He returned to the United States in 1949 and graduated from
Wilson High School in Washington, DC. He enlisted in the army to
attend West Point Prep School before entering the West Point Class
of 1958, following his brother Tom who preceded him in the Class
of 1955.
As a cadet, John was an all-around athlete, participating in swimming,
basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and tennis. He enjoyed the camaraderie
of his G-2 classmates including the occasional weekend visit to
Governor's Island where his father was CG of the First Army.
After graduating in 1958, he completed infantry, airborne and ranger
training prior to serving in infantry units in Germany. He then
returned to take the Advanced Infantry course at Ft. Benning, subsequently
becoming aide to the CG 2nd Infantry Division from 1962 until May
1964, when he took command of an infantry company. John led the
company through vigorous air assault training as part of the 1st
Cavalry Division's test of the airmobile concept.
In September 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division deployed to Vietnam.
In his first major combat action, under the command of then Lt.
Col. Hal Moore, John led B company 1/7 Battalion, 7th Cavalry in
an air assault into LZ X-Ray near a major North Vietnamese base
in Pleiku Province. A three-day historical battle, detailed in the
book and then movie "We Were Soldiers," developed in the
Ia Drang Valley, and Herren's troops fought hard, helping the battalion
defeat a 2,000-man attacking North Vietnamese force. After that
battle, he was made the battalion S-3 (Operations Officer) and participated
in other combat actions, including the Bong Son Valley in January
1966 where he took command of the battalion after two superior officers
were wounded and led the troops into and secured an enemy-held village.
As a commander, John had an even temperament, even in the heat of
the very difficult days in the Ia Drang Valley. The book describes
him as "calm, thoughtful, friendly, and steady: No one ever
saw John Herren get flustered." In Moore's words, John was
an "intrepid, cool-headed, professional battlefield leader…a
great combat commander who I have been privileged to know."
John had deep respect for his troops and was proud of his relationship
with them. In return, he had the trust and affection of many of
his soldiers who fought under him. Those bonds remained for 60+
years, reflected in the annual reunions of the 1st Battalion, 7th
Cav that occurred through 2025.
Back in Washington, John took an ROTC assignment at Georgetown University,
teaching alongside his classmate Larry Malone, whose dedicated service
and subsequent death in Vietnam in 1967 provided inspiration for
the establishment of the Larry Malone Award in 1998. John married
the love of his life, Sarah (Sally) Hand in 1968, a marriage that
was to last 54 years. John then attended the Armed Forces Joint
Staff College and was ordered back to Vietnam where he served on
General Abram's J-3 Staff 1969-70. His daughter Elizabeth (Lisa)
was born in D.C. during this tour.
Returning to the States, he spent three years in the Army's Operations
staff and saw the birth of his second daughter, Alice Corcoran Herren,
who tragically died only a year after her birth. His next overseas
assignment was to Germany, where he served as an Infantry Brigade
Executive Officer, Battalion Commander of the 1/87 Mechanized Infantry
Battalion, and Division Inspector General. Upon returning to the
US in 1977, he commanded the Baltimore-Washington Recruiting District
that made all recruitment goals, attended the National War College,
and served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), NATO
Policy. During these years, he welcomed his son John Michael Herren
(1977) and his daughter Sarah Allison Herren (1979) into the family.
John retired from the Army in 1985 after 28 years. Due to his exceptional
performance, civilian leadership at DOD restructured his position
to a civilian role and rehired him to the NATO Policy Office where
he served until his final retirement in 1996. He received the Defense
Superior Service Medal for that service. After retirement, together
with three '58 classmates, John co-founded and helped run the Wounded
Warrior Mentor Program at Walter Reed Hospital for 16 years, focusing
on 1:1 mentoring to help soldiers, sailors and airmen start new
careers and enhance their educational opportunities after being
discharged from the military.
Throughout John's life, he pursued his love of the outdoors, ensuring
his family was on the tennis courts, on biking excursions and taking
annual ski trips. He enjoyed golf, football, reading, travel adventures
with Sally and his family, and particularly loved staying in touch
with his '58 classmates and Ia Drang soldiers, joining annual reunions
and monthly lunches. Despite the devastating loss of his daughter
Allison to cancer in 2021 and Sally in 2024, John maintained a positive
outlook on life, soldiering on with quiet strength and a relentless
spirit of hope. John exhibited the highest levels of integrity,
strength and compassion and demonstrated the best of what a leader
can be. He is survived by his children, Lisa and Michael, son-in-law
Charles and two granddaughters, Ellie and Catherine.
|
| |
Back
|
