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John Rowan
National President

John Rowan was elected National President of Vietnam Veterans of America at VVA’s Twelfth National Convention in Reno, Nevada, in August 2005.

John enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1965, two years after graduating from high school in Queens, New York. He went to language school, where he learned Indonesian and Vietnamese. He served with the Air Force’s 6990 Security Squadron in Vietnam and at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa providing the Strategic Air Command with intelligence on North Vietnam's SAM sites to protect their bombing missions.

After his honorable discharge from the Air Force, John began college in 1969. He received a BA in political science from Queens College and a Masters degree in urban affairs at Hunter College. Following his graduation from Queens College, John worked in the district office of U.S. Rep. Ben Rosenthal of New York for two years. He then worked as an investigator for the New York City Council and recently retired from his job as an investigator with the New York City Comptroller’s office. Prior to his election as Vietnam Veterans of America’s National President, John served as a VVA veterans’ service representative in New York City.

John has been one of the most active and influential members of Vietnam Veterans of America since the organization was founded in 1978. He was a founding member and the first president of VVA Chapter 32 in Queens, New York. He served as the chairman of VVA’s Conference of State Council Presidents, for three terms on the national Board of Directors, and as president of VVA’s New York State Council.

He lives in Middle Village, New York, with his wife, Mariann.