OUR FIRST HONORARY
HALL OF FAME MEMBER
Lieutenant Colonel John Daniel
graduated from Virginia Military
Institute in 1954 and was
commissioned as a second
lieutenant in the Infantry. He
commanded both an Infantry Rifle
Company and Airborne Infantry Company and served as a Ranger
Instructor at the US Army Ranger Camp in Florida.
Daniel was assigned to UT in 1961 as assistant professor of military
science and earned an MS degree in history in 1971. His hard work
and tireless dedication resulted in the establishment of the first ROTC
Ranger Training Program at a nonmilitary higher education institution.
The Tennessee Ranger Company is his legacy. Generations of Tennessee
cadets were better prepared for the rigors of military duty due to the
training program he created—when many said it should not be done.
Following his tour at UT, he served two combat tours in South Vietnam
as a senior advisor to South Vietnamese Army’s 1st and 2nd Ranger
groups. Daniel was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame in
1999. Daniel’s decorations include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal
with valor device, two Purple Hearts, and the Soldier’s Medal.
Following his retirement, he served as deputy director and director of
E-911 in Knox and Roane County respectively.
He passed away in 2014.
