#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran John Walter MacIndoe

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran John Walter MacIndoe. John served from 1942 to 1972 during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He attained the rank of Colonel.

John was born on Sept. 17, 1920 and joined the Army through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Penn State University. He reported to Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania on May 18, 1942. After completing basic and advanced Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, John was assigned to England as an operations officer. He later traveled to Germany, where he became the commander of an infantry company. John was awarded four purple hearts, a silver star and several bronze stars during this period. His wife and child moved to Germany in early 1946 and the family returned to the United States in summer 1947. John worked as a faculty member at Fort Benning until he was called to Korea in 1950 at the start of the war.

John was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in Korea and returned to the U.S. in December 1951. He trained new recruits before attending Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He was assigned to Germany in October 1958, where he served as a unit commander until November 1959. John’s family moved with him to Germany and his wife became the American president of the German and American Women’s Club while John started work with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Following his service in Germany, John moved to Washington D.C. and worked at the Pentagon.

John reported to Vietnam in March 1967. After returning to the U.S. in 1968, he worked at the National War College and with the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. John retired from the military on July 1, 1972 after over 30 years of service. He worked as a political-military consultant and report analyzer for nearly 12 years.

John passed away on Aug. 15, 2011 at the age of 90.

We honor his service.

This information has been obtained using the Veteran’s History Project and can be found here: https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.04633

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.