John W. Nicholson, Jr.’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro U.S. Army general
A.K.A. John William Nicholson, Jr.
Is Military personnel 
Soldier 
Military leader 
From United States of America 
Type Military 
Gender male
Birth 8 February 1956, Maryland, USA
Age: 64 years
Star sign Aquarius
Education
United States Military Academy
Awards
Defense Distinguished Service Medal  

John William Nicholson Jr. (born May 8, 1957) is a retired United States Army four-star general who last commanded U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and the 41-nation NATO-led Resolute Support Mission from March 30, 2016 to September 2, 2018, succeeding General John F. Campbell. He was the longest-serving commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, having been the senior officer in theatre for more than 2 years, 5 months. He was previously commanding general, Allied Land Command from October 2014 and commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. Nicholson is the son of John W. Nicholson, also a former general officer in the United States Army, distantly related to British Brigadier John Nicholson (1822–1857).

Career

John W. Nicholson Jr. graduated from West Point in 1982 and was commissioned into the infantry. He earned a Bronze Star with “V” device as a paratroop lieutenant during the invasion of Grenada in 1983.

He was a strategist for Eric Shinseki at the point of the 9/11 attacks. He went on to do six tours in Afghanistan.

Nicholson was the deputy director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. He became commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in 2012. In 2014 Nicholson took control of the NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey.

Nicholson told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2016 that “Since 9/11, the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan has largely defined my service.” Nicholson was given command of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, amid a worsening security situation.

Nicholson apologized in person for U.S. involvement in the Kunduz hospital airstrike.

General Nicholson has testified before the following Congressional Committees: The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Senate Armed Services Committee. He participated in numerous sessions of the NATO North Atlantic Council, to include the Ambassadors to NATO, Chiefs of Defense, Defense Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Heads of State of the Alliance.

In 2017, as the commanding general in Afghanistan, General Nicholson, drew attention when he said in a press conference that his command “continued to get reports of” Russian assistance to the Taliban, including weapons — something that was the subject of internal debate within the intelligence community at the time but appears to have been validated by media reporting in July 2020.

In January 2019, Nicholson was found to be responsible, along with General Francis H. Kearney III and Marine investigator Patrick Pihana, of gross errors in judgment in false accusations against a seven-member Marine elite commando force in 2007. The group was expelled from Afghanistan in 2007 amid unproven allegations that they massacred innocent bystanders in the frantic minutes following an ambush. They were cleared of wrongdoing more than a year later, after the case was heard by a military court. However, Nicholson and Kearney did little to set the record straight for 11 years. The group was fully vindicated in a report approved in January 2019 by the Navy Department. Nicholson retired from the Army in 2018 before the report was published.

Awards and decorations

 Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
NATO Medal for former Yugoslavia with service star
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Career: In 1991, Nas performed on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque.” In mid-1992 Nas signed a record deal with Columbia Records, thanks to the efforts of his then-manager MC Serch. Nas made his solo debut on the single “Halftime” from the soundtrack for the film Zebrahead, which MC Serch did the soundtrack for. Nas’s superior rhyming skills garnered him a lot of attention within the hip hop community. Nas’s debut album, Illmatic, was released in 1994. Several singles were released from Illmatic, including “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” “One Love,” and “The World Is Yours.” Illmatic was awarded the best album of 1994 by The Source. Nas’s second album It Was Written, was released in 1996.  Two singles, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” (featuring Lauryn Hill) and “Street Dreams,” were instant hits. It Was Written also featured the debut of the Firm, a supergroup made up of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. 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Nas made his solo debut on the single “Halftime” from the soundtrack for the film Zebrahead, which MC Serch did the soundtrack for. Nas’s superior rhyming skills garnered him a lot of attention within the hip hop community. Nas’s debut album, Illmatic, was released in 1994. Several singles were released from Illmatic, including “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” “One Love,” and “The World Is Yours.” Illmatic was awarded the best album of 1994 by The Source. Nas’s second album It Was Written, was released in 1996.  Two singles, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” (featuring Lauryn Hill) and “Street Dreams,” were instant hits. It Was Written also featured the debut of the Firm, a supergroup made up of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The Firm signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment label and began working on their debut album. Cormega was fired from the group halfway through the recording of the album. Nature became the new fourth member of the Firm. Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album was released in 1997 to mixed reviews. Despite being certified platinum, the album didn’t do well and The Firm disbanded. Nas went on to release nine more albums: 1999’s I Am…, 1999’s Nastradamus, 2001’s Stillmatic, 2002’s God’s Son, 2004’s Street’s Disciple, 2006’s Hip Hop Is Dead, 2008’s Untitled, 2012’s Life is Good, and 2018’s Nasir. He has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and six MTV Music Video Awards. He has been nominated for three BET Awards and won one. In November 2016, Nas collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda and others on a song called “Wrote My Way Out,” which appears on The Hamilton Mixtape. Venture Capitalist: Over the years, Nas has maintained a strong interest in new technology. He eventually founded his own Venture Capital firm which he called QueensBridge Ventures. QueensBridge has made dozens of investments that typically range in the $100-$500,000 range. The fund receives over 100 pitches per month from new firms seeking capital. Some of QueensBridge’s biggest hit investments include Dropbox, Lyft, SeatGeek, General Assembly, Robinhood, Casper, Pill Pack, Pluto TV, and Genius. Nas had a small slice of equity in Ring which Amazon acquired in 2018 for $1.1 billion. Nas was paid $40 million from Amazon for his stakes in Ring and Pill Pack. In 2019, Viacom acquired Pluto TV for $340 million. Nas is also a partner in the chicken and waffle restaurant Sweet Chick. The first location was opened in 2013 by John Seymour. Nas knew he wanted to be involved in the southern restaurant with a hip hop flavor the moment he first walked into a Sweet Chick. Sweet Chick has locations throughout New York in places such as Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, as well as one in Los Angeles and London. Personal Life: On June 15, 1994, Nas’s daughter Destiny was born. Destiny’s mother is Nas’s ex-fiancée, Carmen Bryan. Carmen later admitted that she’d had an affair with Nas’s rival and nemesis Jay-Z. Nas briefly dated Mary J. Blige. Nas’ mother Fannie Ann passed away in 2002. In 2005, after two years of dating, Nas married singer Kelis in Atlanta. In April 2009 Kelis filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Kelis gave birth to Nas’s son on July 21, 2009. The couple’s divorce was finalized on May 21, 2010. In 2018, Kelis accused Nas of being physically and mentally abusive during their marriage. Nas replied to the accusations on social media, accusing Kelis of attempting to slander Nas and accusing his ex-wife of abusing his daughter Destiny. In June 2020, Nas reunited with his ex Carmen Bryan in a show of family unity to celebrate their daughter Destiny’s 26th birthday. IRS Issues: In September 2009 the Internal Revenue Service filed a federal tax lien against Nas for over $2.5 million, seeking unpaid taxes dating back to 2006. In early 2011 his tax debt had grown to more than $6.4 million. In 2012 reports emerged that the IRS had filed papers to garnish part of Nas’s earnings until his delinquent tax bill was paid. Salary Highlights: Between September 2017 and September 2018, Nas earned $35 million. Between September 2018 and September 2019, Nas earned $19 million. Real Estate: In early 2002, Nas purchased a home in Atlanta suburb of McDonough, Georgia for $659,000. The 3,592 square foot home was built in 1999 and has two bedrooms, three full and one-half bathrooms, and a swimming pool. In mid-2007, Nas and his then-wife Kelis purchased a home in Los Angeles for $1.6 million. The 3,207 square foot home was built in 1947 and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
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