EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. — John J. Harding II served his country with honor and distinction from 1991 to  2018 in Marine Corps and in the Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. 

 

He grew up in East Boston and Wilmington and graduated from Arlington Catholic High School in 1987. He would later attend Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., and graduate with his juris doctor from Mississippi School of Law. He also attended the U.S. Naval Justice School.

 

I asked him the driving force for his wanting to enlist and he offered this: "I was well aware of the sacrifices of those who went before me ... I had to serve to honor those men and women and give back."

 

What was basic training like? "I loved the USMC [Officer Candidate School] in Quantico, Va., after Norwich University. Loved the no-nonsense training and the espirit de corps of the United States Marine Corps." 

 

Harding's first assignment of his 28 years of service would be as a lawyer/judge advocate and would end as

an infantry officer. He would spend 20 years as a Marine and eight with the Army. He would have four combat deployments — two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as well as an amazing 13 operational tours throughout the Pacific and Europe.

 

I asked Harding if he was ever afraid and he responded with this: "I was never afraid of anything as I always prayed Psalm 91."  

 

Often called the "Soldier's Psalm," Psalm 91 contains the verse "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day."

 

He spoke about why he served in the Marines and Army. 

 

"The Marines have the highest standards, but the Army gave me the opportunity for a regular (or vice versa) commission and retirement so I service-transferred as a lieutenant colonel from the United States Marine Corps to the United States Army ... It was great blessing as I continued to serve in my same capacity, but received a full retirement much earlier than I would have as a reservist," he said.

 

How were the holidays? "I always stayed close to my family and loved my service so much that being away was tolerable, somebody had to be serving and I was happy to be able to do so," he recalled. 

 

"I was blessed with great mentors in both the USMC and the Army…Col. Matt Matter, USA, Father [Cmdr.] Dennis Rocheford, USA, and Lt. Col. David Reintjes, USMC," he said, when asked about mentors. "They were great men who guided me along the way." 

 

When asked what he would consider his greatest achievement in service, he responded with this powerful

statement: "The greatest honor was returning the late Lance Cpl. Marc Lucas Tucker, USMC, who died in Iraq, to his family in Pontotoc, Miss.," he said. "I gave a speech at the town's memorial service and hopefully helped them recover from their great loss ... the family and I still stay in touch." 

 

Who was the person that he looked up to most in life? "I most look up to my faithful father who worked so tirelessly to provide for our family growing up. He remains a great source of guidance and wisdom," he said with pride. 

 

Harding shared this story: "My most memorable part of service were the years I spent as a military adviser in Afghanistan while also working as a mediator between the Taliban and our US / NATO Command and U.S. Government ... I worked with many great Afghan men, one of which I was able, with the great help of Congressman Richard Neal, to rescue out of Afghanistan (along with his family) after our withdrawal. I'm forever grateful to Congressman Neal for his dedicated assistance with rescuing that family when all other politicians failed to answer my call."

 

Harding now practices law in Springfield. He and his wife, Min Sun Kim, have three beautiful children.

 

Lt. Col. John Harding II, thank you for your service to our great country.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.