Daniel Vance, Jr. – Brigadier General, United States Army

Biography & Photo Courtesy Of His Son, Daniel P. Vance

Daniel Vance, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan on 7 April 1924. He entered enlisted service in February 1943. On 25 November 1944, he was graduated from Officer Candidate School and commissioned a second lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps. Daniel Vance, Jr. was married to Stella Dzialowski on 19 April 1947 in Detroit Michigan.

After participating in the Luzon Campaign in the South Pacific, General Vance was assigned to research and development duty at Detroit Arsenal in 1946 and there participated in the design and production of the first of the post World War II main battle tanks.

In the Korean Conflict he functioned as a field representative of the Chief of Ordnance tasked to update and improve field support concepts. He also served as the first Chief of Plans and Policy in the newly organized Office of Personnel Operations, Department of the Army. Other assignments include the command of the Army Procurement Center in Oslo, Norway, command of the Army Industrial Center in London, command of the 4th Ordnance Battalion in Korea and Chief of the Analysis Staff of the Defense Supply Agency.

Prior to arriving in Vietnam, General Vance was commanding officer of the Defense Contract Agency Southwestern Region (DCASR) with headquarters in Dallas. Immediately prior to taking command of the Saigon Support Command, 23 November 1970, he commanded the US Army Support Command, Da Nang. He arrived on Okinawa 6 July 1972 to assume duties as Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Base Command, Okinawa. General Vance retired 31 July 1973.

Brigadier General Vance’s educational background included a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management and a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from George Washington University. He was a graduate of the Industrial College of the Army, the Army Management School, and the Command and General Staff College. In 1968 he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.

Among the numerous awards and decorations he holds are the Good Conduct Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Korea), National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Philippine Independence Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the United Nations Service Medal, ARVN Civil Actions Medal, ARVN Distinguished Service Order, and the Distinguished Service Medal.

Following his retirement, General Vance lived in Naples, Florida with his wife Stella. He worked with computers and started his own business called Computer Electronics.

General Vance passed away on 11 April 2000 in Naples, Florida. He is survived by a son, Daniel P. Vance; a daughter-in-law, Gail M. Vance, by daughter, Diana P. Vance; his grandson, Daniel Matthew Vance; and by his granddaughter, Heather Allen Vance.

General Vance’s family is honored that he was placed within the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on 1 May 2000. He is located at Section 65, Grave 3930.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard