John A. B. Dillard (September 1, 1919 – May 12, 1970) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

who was killed in action on May 12, 1970, in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. General Dillard was one of five U.S. Army

general officers A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

killed in action in the Vietnam War.

Early life and family

General Dillard was married to Betty L. Hawkins and had three children, John A. B. 3rd, Gerry and Revalee.

Education

General Dillard graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, Class of 1942 with a BS degree in civil engineering.

US Army career

Dillard served as a Platoon Leader and Company Commander in Europe during World War II. During the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

from July 1952 until July 1953, he served as a Battalion Operations Officer with the 25th Infantry Division in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. In November 1969, General Dillard was assigned to South Vietnam as Chief of the Engineer Command.

Death

On 12 May 1970, Major General Dillard and nine other Americans were killed when a

UH-1 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

helicopter they were aboard was hit by enemy fire and crashed in the Central Highlands, southwest of Pleiku and northwest of

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

. Also killed was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Carroll Edward Adams Jr. (posthumously promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

), commander of the 937th Engineer Group. Sergeant Major Robert W. Elkey was the only survivor and was seriously injured. Dillard was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Dillard, John A (section 5, grave 7)
– ANC Explorer

References

External links