Colonel John L. Insani was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts on 30 August 1925. He began his military career as an enlisted man in November 1943 and was trained as an artilleryman and communications specialist. | He attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry 3 March 1945. He was then assigned to Europe where he served as a rifle platoon leader with the 15th Infantry Regiment in the Central Europe Campaign in the closing days of World War II. | After World War II he served with the 3d and 1st Infantry Divisions in Germany and Austria. In 1947 he was assigned to the 3d Armor Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky as the Assistant Division G-4. From Fort Knox he was assigned to Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky as cadre for the 101st Airborne Division. In 1948 he rejoined the 3d Infantry Division as a platoon leader in the 7th Infantry Regiment at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In 1950 he was deployed to Korea with the 7th Infantry Regiment and served in combat as a machine gun platoon leader, infantry rifle company commander and then as a battalion S-3.  While serving in Korea he received a battlefield promotion to Captain. | Upon his return from Korea, he was selected to activate and command the U.S. Army Alien Enlistee Detachment at Fort Devens. Working with instructors from Harvard University, he was responsible for teaching basic English and basic military subjects to alien enlistees from Europe who enlisted in the U.S. Army under the provisions of the Lodge Act. In 1954, he attended the Infantry Officer Advance Course and subsequently served in various staff positions at Fort Benning, Georgia and in Europe. In 1958 he was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College. After graduation in 1959, he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Information until 1961 when he was assigned as an Assistant Secretary of the General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff Army in Washington, D.C. From this assignment he attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia. | After graduating from the Armed Forces Staff College he returned to Korea in 1964 and served as the G-3 of the 1st Cavalry Division until 1965. He then returned to Germany where he served as Chief of the G-1 Plans and Operations Division at Seventh Army Headquarters. In 1966 he was selected to attend the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. After graduation, he returned to Germany where he served as G-3 and later as Deputy Chief of Staff of the 3d Infantry Division. In 1968 he was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army as the Chief of General War Plans and Special Studies Branch in the Plans Division of the Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations. | From 1969 to 1971 he served in Vietnam, first as Chief of the Doctrine Systems and Training Division and Defense Advisor for Long Binh Post at Headquarters U.S. Army Vietnam, and subsequently as Division Chief of Staff and as a Brigade Commander in the 23d Infantry Division. | In July 1971 he returned to Germany for duty in the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. He served consecutively as Chief of the Operations Division, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations, and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations until August 1975. During much of this period he was instrumental in writing and directing several major studies pertaining to increasing the combat power and the combat-to-support ratio of U.S. Army Europe. In January 1974 he was awarded the Department of the Army Management Review and Improvement Program Award for his authorship of the Project Fender Force Improvement Study. In August 1975 Colonel Insani assumed duties as Chief of Staff, Allied Staff Berlin. | Military schools attended include: Artillery School (Communications) -1944; Infantry School -1944-1945 & 1954; Command and General Staff College - 1968-1969; Armed Forces Staff College - 1964; Naval War College - 1966-1967. He holds a BS-University of Maryland; MS-George Washington University. | His military decorations and awards which cover nine campaigns include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal w/ 13 Oak Leaf Clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Silver, and Gold Stars, Combat Infantryman Badge with Star, Army General Staff Identification Badge, Republic of Vietnam Staff Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Occupation Medal Germany and Japan, Korea Service Medal, American Defense Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, United Nations Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals.