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<p>Colonel <em>John Arthur “Jack” Gloriod</em> (Retired), son of the late Colonel John Alexis Gloriod (Retired), Class of 1935, passed away on February 18, 2023 in Colorado Springs, CO at age 75. </p>
<p>Jack was born on November 22, 1947 in Georgia and was one of the youngest of “The Best of the Line, ’69!” He came to West Point as an Army brat from Salt Lake City, UT and is noted in the 1969 Howitzer as “…one of those rare persons who simply does not fail.” And fail he did not. </p>
<p>In his first days at West Point, he gained initial fame in Beast Barracks with the daring declaration, “Sir, pathfinder, Indian scout, guerilla fighter, New Cadet Gloriod, a man of craft and cunning in the trickery and deceit of the enemy reports as ordered.” At the Academy, Jack ran track, played a season of football, was the top player in the Chess Club and was in the Skydiving Club. </p>
<p>Following graduation from West Point, Jack earned his airborne wings, graduated from the Artillery Officer Basic Course, and proved his mettle (and won the admiration of many) when he graduated with honors from the extremely challenging “Winter Ranger” of the Army Ranger School, November 1969 to March 1970. In Vietnam, Jack served in the 173rd Airborne Division, where he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in action in February 1971. When asked about his days in Vietnam, he would tell us, his classmates, about his first days there as an artillery forward observer and how he jumped off a helicopter into the infantry company in enemy contact. Upon his arrival, he asked the first sergeant who greeted him where the company commander was and was answered with, “I’m lookin’ at him, Sir,” as the company’s officers had all been evacuated shortly before. He also would reminisce about the standing ovation he received when he survived his first six weeks of service as a forward observer.</p>
<p>Post-Vietnam, Jack served as an instructor at Ranger School at Fort Benning, GA and Florida Ranger Camp. After which, he served as an exchange student at the Chilean Mountain Warfare School. </p>
<p>Following a tour with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, Jack served in the 1st Battalion, 509th Airborne Brigade in Italy and had the distinction of commanding the “only airborne artillery battery in Europe.” After tours at TRADOC and as the S-3 of the Fourth Division Artillery at Fort Carson, CO, Jack commanded the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment in Germany. Later he returned to Fort Carson, where he commanded the division artillery. He became a familiar and respected mentor among local artillerymen at Fort Carson, much admired for his energy, initiative, and savvy leadership. Following service in combat developments at Fort Sill, OK, he retired from the Army in 1994 in Colorado Springs. </p>
<p>Jack finished his distinguished career having been awarded a Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars for valor, an Army Commendation Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award. He was a graduate of the Army War College and Boston University, where he received a master’s degree in business.</p>
<p>After his distinguished service, he partnered with some friends in a software networking start-up and with his loving wife, Becky, in a real estate company that became the second largest and most successful in Colorado Springs. As Jack used as a motto, he enjoyed helping countless people “Invite Success into their Homes.” As a civilian, Jack was passionate about giving back to his community, serving on the board of many companies like Pyxant Labs, and offering his assistance to the Home Front Cares, now the Home Front Military Network.</p>
<p>He was an avid golfer, tennis player, skier and runner. He was a member of the Broadmoor Golf Club and the Colorado Country Club. </p>
<p>Years earlier (and despite Becky’s skepticism) Jack joined several West Point classmates at the Artillery Officer Advanced Course in the early ’70s on the Fort Sill rugby team, a sport for only the toughest of athletes. </p>
<p>He was very active in the local business community and local politics and involved with his classmates and the West Point Society of the Pikes Peak Region. Jack was also instrumental in founding St. George’s Anglican Church in Colorado Springs and served as the senior warden in the church. </p>
<p>Jack was the rare man of character who, if he were your friend, made you feel like he was your best friend. He was one of a kind who put others before himself and who combined seriousness of purpose with a sharp wit and sense of humor. He found the positive in everything. His closest, decades-long friends said he never got discouraged, despite whatever issues confronted him and us. His Howitzer entry described him as a man who simply does not fail, who one day will teach us the meaning of success. Those days came frequently.</p>
<p>Jack is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Becky; daughter Karine Gloriod Pignatello (USMA ’95), son-in-law Anthony Pignatiello, grandson Jack Pignatello, daughter Vivi Gloriod, son-in-law Dr. Marty Jenson, grandsons Brighton and Sawyer Narvaez, sister Susan Gloriod Kroes, and brother-in-law Nick Kroes.</p>
<p><em>— Jim Mesite and D-3 Classmates</em></p>
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