John F. Freund

John Frederick Freund (April 27, 1918 – March 22, 2001) was the thirty-sixth Adjutant General of the State of Connecticut.

Early life and education Freund was born in New York City, New York on April 27, 1918. Raised in Scarsdale, New York, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy where he was a varsity swimmer. Freund graduated with a B.S. degree in June 1940, at which was the same time he entered the service.

Military career An eye problem kept him from the Navy. During 1953 to 1957, Freund was assigned to the Weapons Systems Evaluation Group, Office of the Secretary of Defense, as an army member and guided missile specialists.

After graduation from the National War College in 1961, Freund remained in the Washington area, serving for one year on the Department of the Army General Staff and two subsequent years with the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In September 1964 he served as adviser to Army of the Republic of Vietnam Brigadier General Nguyễn Hữu Có, the commander of II Corps and he played a key role in defusing the Buôn Ma Thuột rebellion by the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races. During his time in South Vietnam, he performed duties as Deputy Senior Corps Advisor, Director of Training for Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), assistant director of the Joint United States Public Affairs Office, Special Assistant to the COMUSMACV General William Westmoreland and finally as commander of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Freund was wounded in August 1967 during an assault operation in Operation Fairfax and was brought back to the U.S. in early September.

In October 1967, he was assigned to West Germany where he served as Chief of Staff of VII Corps. Frocked as a brigadier general, his promotion was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 19, 1968. In January 1969 he returned to the U.S. where he was assigned to Washington D.C., serving as Special Assistant for Counter Insurgency and Special Activities, office of the Joint Chief of Staff, until August 1969. He served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Department of the Army, until July 1971. On July 16, 1971, Freund was reassigned to Stewart Field, New York where he assumed command of the First Region, U.S. Army Air Defense Command.

He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on April 5, 2001. His wife died two months later and was interred beside him on June 26, 2001.