John E. Murray

MURRAY MAJOR GENERAL JOHN E. MURRAY U.S. ARMY (Ret.) Major General John E. Murray (US. Army Retired) who served as Defense Attaché in the last days of the US presence in Vietnam, died September 1st in Norfolk, Virginia. Born in Clifton, New Jersey, November 22, 1918, General Murray was drafted into the US. Army in 1941 as a private leaving his studies at St. John‘s University and rose to the rank of Major General. The career that followed was to take him through 3 wars, 10 campaigns and logistic and transportation operations throughout the world. He earned his LLB from New York Law School in 1949, LLD in 1975 and M.A. from George Washington University in 1961. He was a member of the New York Bar and the U. S. Supreme Court. He was also a member of the Korean Bar. He served in Korea and was Director of Army Transportation in 1969 and 1970. He then served as Chief of Logistics to the Pacific Command and Chief of Logistics for the Military Assistance Command from 1972 until late 1973, under the command of Admiral McCain. After the cease of hostilities in Vietnam, he remained as chief military in charge of intelligence operations and support of the Vietnamese Armed Forces. President Reagan, called General Murray back to service as the head of the in 1988-1989 where he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. He was inducted into the Army Transportation Corps Hall of Fame, located at Fort Eustis, Virginia in 2001. After retiring from the military he served as Vice President of the Association of American Railroads and as special counsel to American International Underwriters. He served on the White House Agent Orange Working Group and the Defense Intelligence Task Force on POW‘s and MIA‘s. He also served with the White House Office of Science and Technology on epidemiological studies and with industry of a variety of legal and logistics matters. General Murray lectured at Georgetown University on Crisis Management and at the National Defense University. He was a prolific author of articles involving logistics and business matters and also contributed book reviews to Time-Life books and National Defense Transportation magazine. Publications include Lawyers, Computers and Power‘; War Transport and Show Biz; The Myths of Business and the Business of Myths; Sweet Adversity; the US Army, how it Motivates” Among his numerous awards were the D.S.M; Legion of Merit; the Italian War Cross, Knight Order Crown of Italy; and decorations from the Korean and Vietnamese Governments He is survived by his daughter Valerie, of Norfolk Virginal, his granddaughter Shana and grandson Andrew of Norfolk Virginia; his brother Danny of Arlington Virginia, and a large extended family. A wake will be held November 19, and 20, 2008 at the EVERLY FUNERAL HOME, 6161 Leesburg Pike, and Falls Church Virginal. Services will be held at the Fort Meyer Chapel at 8:45 a.m. on the 21st of November followed by burial at the Arlington National Cemetery.