JON R. CAVAIANI
SERGEANT MAJOR (RETIRED)
Jon R. Cavaiani was born in Murphys, Ireland and sent to England in 1943.
He came to the United States in 1947 and in 1953 moved to the small farming community of Ballico, California to be with his stepfather, Ugo Cavaiani. In 1961 Ugo formally adopted Jon and in 1968 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Jon Cavaiani joined the U.S. Army in 1969. He volunteered for Special Forces where he spent the next 17 years. Cavaiani was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while a platoon leader on an isolated radio relay site deep in enemy territory. Jon was serving with the studies and observations group (SOG), an elite reconnaissance unit when he was written up for the Medal of Honor for his actions on 4 and 5 June, 1971, in Vietnam. Eleven days after this action, wounded and still trying to evade the enemy, Jon was captured and spent the next 23 months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

His other assignments included tours in the Middle East, South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Jon spent three years in Berlin, Germany as the Senior Operations Sergeant Major for British, French and U.S. Forces. He was selected and assigned to the United States’ most elite Counter-Terrorist Force.

Upon retiring, Jon has made time available to serve as the 6th region director of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Cavaiani recently graduated with honors from the culinary arts program in Columbia, Ca., where he and his wife Barbara live. Jon has three grandsons and two granddaughters.

Among his numerous awards and decorations are the nation’s highest award for valor, the Army Medal of Honor; the Legion of Valor, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (Valor), Purple Heart with oak leaf clusters. Jon was a freefell and static line jumpmaster and has over 5,000 jumps all over the world.