John Rowan (born September 18, 1945) is an American Vietnam War veteran and the sixth national president of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA).
John Rowan | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1945 Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Queen's College Hunter College |
| Occupation | Civic leader |
Early life, education, and military service
editRowan was born on September 18, 1945, in Queens, New York City.[1] He was educated at the Brooklyn Technical High School, and he attended Baruch College but did not graduate.[1] Instead, he learned Indonesian at the Defense Language Institute and Vietnamese in Washington, D.C., before serving in the Vietnam War.[1]
In 1967,[1] amid the Vietnam War, Rowan joined the U.S. Air Force Security Service as a linguist.[2] He "flew in planes over North Vietnam with a team listening in on the enemy's communications and translating them into English to guide or warn American pilots."[1]
After the war, Rowan attended Queen's College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science.[2][3] He attended graduate school at Hunter College, where he earned a master's degree in Urban Affairs.[2][3]
Career and civic activities
editRowan spent his career in the public sector. He was an investigator for the New York City Comptroller's Office until 2002.[1]
Rowan became a member of the Council of Vietnam Veterans, later known as the Vietnam Veterans of America, in 1978.[1][3] He was a founding member of its chapter in Queens, New York in 1981.[1] From 1995 to 2005, he was the president of the VVA's New York State Council from 1995 to 2005.[1] Since 2005, he has served as its sixth national president.[1] He has raised awareness about the high rate of PTSD among Vietnam War veterans.[4] He has also worked with the Vietnamese Veterans Association to find missing U.S. veterans of the war who died on Vietnamese soil.[1]
Rowan serves on the advisory board of the New York City Department of Veterans Affairs, where he represents Queens.[3]
Personal life
editWith his wife Mariann, Rowan resides in Middle Village, New York.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Springston, Chuck (April 2018). "Voices: John Rowan". HistoryNet. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "John Rowan: National President". Vietnam Veterans of America. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Advisory Board: John Rowan". NYC Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Kelly, Caitlin (December 4, 2005). "Stress is called a killer for vets". New York Daily News. p. 26. Retrieved March 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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