John B. Sylvester


John B. Sylvester is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and decorated veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. He is best known for his command of the famed Tiger Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division attached to the 2nd Marine Division in the Gulf War, and his three tours of duty in the Balkans culminating as the commander of Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sylvester was awarded the Silver Star during Operation Desert Storm.

Early life

A military brat, Sylvester was born in Columbia, South Carolina while his father was stationed at Fort Jackson. His father, Lieutenant Colonel George E. Sylvester, was a World War II veteran who served in the European front. The younger Sylvester spent his teenage years in Texas and attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1967. He enlisted in the United States Army immediately afterward. He married Becki Sylvester.

Military career

Graduating from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning in 1968, Sylvester was sent to Armor Officer Basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He was then assigned to 2nd Battalion, 13th Armor. In 1970, he was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. While serving on combat duty in Vietnam, Sylvester was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
After Vietnam, Sylvester rose through the ranks, serving in numerous assignments both stateside and abroad. In 1987 he graduated from the United States Army War College. In 1994 he served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the ACE Rapid Reaction corps stationed at Rheindahlen, Germany, and later deployed with the Corps during NATO's first combat deployment to Bosnia. He later served as Director of Operations, Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe, based in the Netherlands.
In 1998 Sylvester was named as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations for NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He held two senior tours with the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and later as the Chief of Staff. In 2001 he was promoted to the three-star rank as a consequence of being deployed on his third tour to the Balkans as the NATO force Commander, COMSFOR. His final tour on active duty was as the Chief of Staff of the United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. He retired in August 2004 and was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal during his retirement ceremony.

Post-military career

Following his retirement Sylvester accepted a position with Military Professional Resources Inc., as a manager for several joint venture companies performing law enforcement work in support of the United States Department of State and the Department of Justice.