West Jax Rotary

Ret. Col John Fretkic
Intelligence

Colonel (Ret.) John D. Frketic retired from the U.S. Army in June, 2005 after 34 years of active service rising in rank from private to colonel. He served four years (1967-1971) as an enlisted soldier to include 19 months in Viet Nam. He was commissioned through the ROTC program at the University of Florida and was sent immediately to graduate school where he completed a Masters Degree in International Relations before reporting for duty with the 8th Infantry Division (Mech) in Germany.

While with the 8th ID he served as a platoon leader, battalion S-2 and chief of the Division’s All-Source Intelligence Center. He was subsequently an instructor at the Intelligence Center and School and served a two year tour as an Exchange Officer in Australia. Throughout his career, Colonel (Ret.) Frketic continued to serve alternating tours in Army tactical units as either the S-2/G-2 or as a unit commander. As a captain and major, he served two and one-half years as the commander of a special intelligence unit at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Following two years at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, in CGSC and SAMS, he was posted to the 6th Infantry Division (Light) in Alaska where he served first as the G-2 Operations and Plans Officer then Executive Officer of the divisional intelligence battalion.

He was individually deployed for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and after serving as the G-3 Current Operations Officer for the 3rd Army (ARCENT) Forward tactical operations center (TOC) he was selected as the G-2 of the 6th Infantry Division (Light). COL (Ret.) Frketic subsequently commanded two battalions; the Military Intelligence battalion of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the Officer Training Battalion for the Intelligence Center and School at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. As the FORSCOM G-2/DCSINT he was heavily involved with national intelligence fusion into the FBI’s security effort for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA.

He also had two colonel level commands; one as the Garrison Commander at Ft. Meade, MD., and a second in a special intelligence unit working directly for the senior U.S military officer in Europe, the SACEUR/CINCEUR. He concluded his career as the Deputy Commander for the Army Combat Readiness Center at Ft. Rucker, AL. During this time he was detached and served as the senior intelligence officer for the initial U.S. civilian governing effort in Iraq under LTG (Ret.) Jay Garner and Ambassador L. Paul Bremmer.

Prior to joining LSI he was a popular and well respected instructor at the University of North Florida’s School of Continuing Education.

Notes
Thanks to Lee Wimberley and GiGi Carroll for their work coordinating Career Day. Thirty One Interactors and 29 Rotarians participated. Thanks to all Rotarians who participated.

Please know that the community is counting on us to have a successful drive this Wednesday, November 5. The blood mobile will be at the Holiday Inn from 11 am - 3 pm. Be prepared to stop by and “drop off a pint”. As always, the blood drive staff will be anxiously awaiting all participants!

The Adopt-a-Highway committee will be cleaning up Blanding Blvd. on the 22nd of November. Meet at the Sav-A-Lot parking lot (which is at Shirley & Blanding) at 8:00am. Please contact Will Croft for additional information.

Family or Rotary:
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Prendergast and his family for the passing of his mother last Wednesday.

Birthdays
October 27 — Dan Dodd
November 1 — Jim Lanier,Jr.
November 2 — Jeff Ludwig
November 3 — Charlie Bryant
November 4 — Chuck Wintz

Next Week - November 12, 2008
Greeters - Ham Cooke, John Schultz
Invocation - Shep Colledge
Pledge - David Long
Four-Way Test - Allan Wulbern
Speaker - Capt. Scorby, Commanding Officer, NAS Jax