John Irvin Alger was born in Aliquippa, PA, on May 19, 1942, the son of Irvin L. Alger, a steelworker, and Violet A. (Davies) Alger, a teacher. John graduated from Aliquippa High School in 1960 and attended Duke University for a year before receiving his appointment to the U. S. Military Academy. He entered West Point on Jul 5, 1961 and graduated on Jun 9, 1965. While a cadet, John was a “star man” and a valued member of the track team, helping Army defeat Navy seven out of eight times. John soared 6' 5" in the high jump—well before the revolutionary “Fosbury flop.” As in high school, John excelled academically, and many classmates benefited from his selfless tutoring. John also was a cadet captain, serving as brigade supply officer. John’s high class standing ensured that he would get his choice of branch: Infantry. After completing Ranger and Airborne School, John was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 509th Airborne Infantry Regiment, in Mainz, Germany, and served for two years before deploying as an individual replacement to the Republic of Vietnam. John was assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), where he served as an advisor to the Vietnamese airborne forces. John then spent a year commanding a company of the 82nd Airborne Division and served as a brigade operations officer. After earning a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University, John returned to MACV. He subsequently earned a Master of Military Arts and Science degree at the Command & General Staff College before returning to West Point as an instructor in the Department of History, ultimately earning a Ph.D. in history from Stanford. John became a noted scholar, lecturer, and writer; excelled as a professor; and in 1978 received the Clements Award for “outstanding military educator.” Next, John was assigned to Heidelberg, Germany, as speech writer for the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army Europe. In 1981, John was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army (OCSA), then to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (ODCSOPS). One of his favorite assignments was the Middle East peacekeeping mission. After two years on the faculty of the National War College in Washington DC, John returned to ODCSOPS for another year. He retired as a colonel after 22 years of commissioned service. John’s military awards include the Silver Star, three Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal for valor, two Army Commendation Medals, and several service medals and foreign awards. COL(R) John Alger is a 1965 graduate of West Point. His Army career included two tours of duty as an advisor in Vietnam, teaching assignments in the Stanford University ROTC Department, the Department of History at West Point, and as associate dean for research at the Naval War College. This interview focuses on his two tours in Vietnam and deals substantially with the experience of and the lessons learned from the Tet offensive. COL(R) Alger also discusses the training he had at West Point prior to being deployed to Vietnam and advises on how to best prepare Cadets now for unconventional warfare. COL(R) John Alger’s USMA Class Ring was one of 5 donated to be melted down to become part of the Class Rings for the USMA Class of 2015, their 50 year affiliate class. John Alger died on February 14, 2010 and is buried in the West Point Cemetery. In this video, he discusses the atmosphere around West Point as the War in Vietnam was growing. He talks about training and preparing for deployment to South East Asia. He explains how he broke down cultural barriers with his Vietnamese counterpart using the language skills he learned at West Point and about his experiences supporting the Vietnamese Airborne Division. He describes one incident that highlights the value of human life.