John Donovan "Jack" Gardner (born 27 September 1954) is a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He is the former deputy commander of the United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. During his career he served in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Bosnia, Iraq and numerous locations throughout the United States. He currently serves as the director of the 21st Century Jobskills Project, a nonprofit organization focused on assisting public school students in transitioning to living wage jobs. Gardner is a native of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Past assignments

Deputy Commander MNF-I for detainee operations

Gardner was assigned as deputy commander for detainee operations/Commander of Task Force 134,

Multinational Force Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state A multinational state or a multinational union ...

. His oversight included all detainee operations at

Camp Bucca Camp Bucca () was a forward operating base that housed a theater internment facility maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. After being taken over by the U.S. military (800th Military Police Brigade) in April ...

Camp Cropper Camp Cropper was a holding facility for security detainees operated by the United States Army near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The facility was initially operated as a high-value detention site (HVD), but has since been expanded in ...

Fort Suse Fort Suse is an Iraqi military installation located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in the vicinity of Al-Sulamaniya. It was built in 1977 by Russian engineers as a barracks and training facility, but now serves as a prison. Use as a detention ...

and

Abu Ghraib prison Abu Ghraib prison (, ''Sijn Abū Ghurayb'') was a prison complex in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, located west of Baghdad. Abu Ghraib prison was opened in the 1960s and served as a maximum-security prison. From the 1970s, the prison was used by Saddam Hus ...

as well as operations at

Camp Ashraf Camp Ashraf or Ashraf City is a camp in Iraq's Diyala Governorate, having the character of a small city with all basic infrastructure, and the former headquarters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The population used to be around 3,40 ...

. Both Fort Suse and Abu Ghraib prison were returned to Iraq control during his tenure.

U.S. Army South

Gardner was the

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the

United States Army South United States Army South is an Army service component command of United States Southern Command whose area of responsibility includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is headquar ...

where he oversaw American military operations in 31 countries and 13 dependencies, in Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. His operational area of responsibility covered over 15.6 million square miles (40.4 million km²) of area, or one-sixth of the world's surface.

Other assignments

*Deputy commanding general for transformation,

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...

Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...

*Assistant division commander (support), 25th Infantry Division (Light) with duty as deputy commanding general, Multinational Division (North), Stabilization Force-11, Task Force Eagle,

Operation Joint Forge The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian War. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It was replaced by EUFOR Alth ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

*Assistant deputy chief of staff – United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/

United States Forces Korea The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and e ...

Yong San, Korea *Brigade Commander in the 3d Infantry Division *Battalion Commander, 1-506th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division *Company Commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry in Aschaffenburg, Germany. Gardner retired from active duty in the Army in May 2012.

Education

Gardner is a graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1976 and the

Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

. In addition Gardner holds a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, and completed a Senior Service College Fellowship at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

U.S. decorations and badges

Defense Distinguished Service Medal The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) *

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

(with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters) *

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

(with Oak Leaf Cluster) *

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...

* Expert Infantryman Badge * Senior Parachutist Badge * Pathfinder Badge * Ranger Tab

References

External links

Generals get new assignments
Army Times

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

* ttp://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11823&Itemid=128 Stone Assumes Command of MNF-I Detainee OperationsMNF-I Press Release
MG Jack Gardner departs, BG Keen in as USARSO turns a new page in its proud history
Bio of Deputy Commander Land Component Command Heidelberg {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, John D. 1954 births Living people Military personnel from Columbus, Ohio United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Rangers United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Georgetown University alumni United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Harvard University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Military personnel from Alexandria, Virginia Members of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America