A memorial plaque in honor of U.S. Army Major Gregory John Fester, a 1982 graduate, was dedicated in front of Westerville North High School on Monday, November 11 – Veteran’s Day. Friends, family members, alumni, military colleagues and staff were present at the ceremony to remember the “ultimate Warrior.” The monument was constructed by Robert Kondas.
Major Fester, a Westerville native, was working to rebuild schools for Iraqi children. He was killed in 2005 in an explosion while on patrol about 30 miles south of Baghdad. Fester, 41, was a reservist assigned to the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was serving in the dangerous Sunni Triangle when he lost his life.
Fester spent 8 ½ years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, for which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors. After his tour of duty, Fester became a member of an Army Reserve unit. He was working at Pfizer in Michigan when he and others were called back into service by a presidential executive order. Fester left for Iraq just after July 4 for a tour that was scheduled to last until November 2006.