John Daniel Herren

John Daniel Herren, a devoted husband and beloved father, died surrounded by his children in his Bethesda home of 50 years. A U.S. Military Academy graduate and decorated Army colonel, he was known for his calm leadership during one of the Vietnam War's most consequential battles.

Born in 1934, at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, John was the son of Lt. Gen. Thomas Wade and Lillian (Corcoran) Herren, and grew up an army brat across the American South, Japan, and South Korea, before graduating from Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. He followed his brother, Thomas Wade Herren Jr. to West Point, graduating with the Class of 1958.

John’s defining moment in the military came in November 1965, when he commanded B Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, in the air assault into LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley — the first major engagement between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces, later documented in the book and film We Were Soldiers. Under Lt. Col. Hal Moore, Captain Herren’s troops helped defeat a 2,000-man North Vietnamese force over three punishing days. Moore later called him "an intrepid, cool-headed, professional battlefield leader. No one ever saw John get flustered."

He served two Vietnam tours, married the love of his life, Sally Hand, earned a Master’s degree in International Relations and taught ROTC at Georgetown University, attended the National War College, and retired from the Army in 1985 after 28 years. He continued serving in the Pentagon's NATO Policy Office until 1996.

In retirement, John co-founded the Wounded Warrior Mentor Program at Walter Reed with three West Point classmates, providing 1:1 mentorship for over 16 years to wounded and injured veterans to help further their educational opportunities and careers.

Throughout John's life he pursued his love of the outdoors, ensuring his family was on the tennis courts and taking biking excursions, and leading annual ski trips and summer vacations to Slope n’ Shore in New Hampshire. For many years, visits to Lake Martin, Alabama with his Herren first cousins at “At Ease” provided an enduring connection to his extended family. John relished golf, football, baseball, reading, and travel adventures with Sally. Equally sustaining were the bonds he kept over 40 years with his West Point classmates and battlefield troops, friendships honored through annual reunions and monthly lunches. His sense of integrity, loyalty to family and friends, and his deeply kind heart defined John as a person and leader.

John endured profound personal losses - a daughter in infancy, his brother Tom, his youngest daughter Allison to cancer in 2021, and his cherished Sally in 2024 - with characteristic quiet strength. He is survived by his children Lisa and Michael, his granddaughters, Ellie and Catherine to whom he was devoted, and son-in-law Charles, a Navy officer who he graciously welcomed into the family.

A celebration of John’s life will be held at St. Columba’s Church on April 20. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 2027. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to organizations he supported including, Fisher House Foundation, Metavivor in memory of Allison and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in memory of Sally.