John Einar Murray (22 November 1918 – 1 September 2008) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

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 served as Defense Attaché to South Vietnam during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

Early life

Murray was born on 22 November 1918 in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

Military service

While studying at St. John's University, he was drafted into the Army on 9 July 1941 just before the United States entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Murray was promoted to warrant officer on 11 September 1942 and commissioned as a second lieutenant on 6 January 1943. He later completed an LL.B. degree at

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include E ...

in October 1949 and an M.A. degree in international affairs at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in 1961. Murray also graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1961. Murray's Army career spanned three wars and ten military campaigns. He was 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 appointed ...

on 2 June 1970 and major general on 1 March 1972. In January 1973, Murray was appointed as Defense Attaché to South Vietnam. In late August 1974, Murray wrote that “without proper support the RVNAF (Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces) are going lose, maybe not next week, or next month, but after the year they are going to.” Murray retired from active duty in the Army on 1 September 1974.

Later life

In June 1975, Murray was conferred an honorary LL.D. degree by New York Law School. In 1988, Murray was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict by President Ronald Reagan. He retired from government service in 1989. After his death in Norfolk, Virginia in 2008, he was interred 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 ...

with his wife Elaine Claire Murray (10 September 1921 – 3 May 1970).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, John E. 1918 births 2008 deaths People from Clifton, New Jersey St. John's University (New York City) alumni United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II New York Law School alumni United States Army personnel of the Korean War Elliott School of International Affairs alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Department of Defense officials People from Norfolk, Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery