John Edmund Sobraske was born in Minneapolis, MN in 1932 to a businessman father and a political activist mother who encouraged him to reach out and care for others. His early parochial school days were followed by four years at Saint Thomas Academy, where he received a college preparatory, Catholic, boys only, military leadership education. Active in sports, clubs and the band, committed to God and country, his leadership talent was quickly recognized, and he graduated with the rank of lieutenant colonel, the second-highest rank in the Cadet Brigade. On graduation he moved on to the neighboring College of Saint Thomas, a Catholic college that also had a military program. A month before he entered West Point, while attending a young adult social, he met a charming college sophomore, Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Kennedy, a stroke of good fortune that would guide the rest of his life. On 29 of the next 30 days he dated Liz and left for West Point with clear direction as to whom he was going to marry.
Jack saw West Point as “a dedicated and ethical institution” where he could “associate with a diverse population and grow to reach one’s potential.” On July 7, 1953, he joined Corps of Cadets as part of the Class of 1957. The same talents that made him successful at Saint Thomas led to his recognition in the Corps for his academic, physical and ethical focus. During his yearling year he joined the intercollegiate boxing squad. His success in the Brigade Boxing Championship ensured that no one wanted to get in the ring with him. As kind as he was in day-to-day life, somehow, he became a terror when he entered the ring.
Everyone knew that while Jack was focused on success at West Point, he always had his mind in Minnesota with Liz. Woe betide the cadet mail carrier who failed to bring Jack a letter from Liz in his daily round. His love then and throughout the rest of his life was Liz, and this impressed everyone around him in its sincerity. On graduation, Jack was commissioned into his first-choice branch, the Infantry. Jack and Liz were married on June 22, 1957 in Minneapolis and made their first of many military moves to Fort Benning, GA to attend the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Airborne and Ranger schools, and then to deploy to Germany for assignment with the 11th Airborne Division and the 24th Infantry Division. On return to the States, Jack was selected to attend Georgia Tech to obtain a Master of Science degree to prepare him for an assignment on the faculty at West Point. While in Atlanta their family grew with the with arrival of John E. Jr. and Catherine Marie. After a one-year assignment with Headquarters, Eighth Army in Korea, Jack returned to the Academy to become an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Space and Graphic Sciences (MT&G in the Class of 1957’s days.) On completion of his West Point tour, he joined the 1/5th Air Cavalry Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam as its S-3 and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Air Medals. On returning to the States, he was selected to attend the prestigious Armed Forces Staff College and on graduation was assigned to the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff Communications-Electronics in the Pentagon, where his significant contributions merited the award of the Legion of Merit. Selected for battalion command, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY, where he assumed battalion command of the legendary 1/506 Infantry Regiment (made famous by the TV series “Band of Brothers”). His success in battalion command led to his assignment as commander, San Francisco Recruiting District, attendance at the Army War College, selection as chief, Army Reserve Readiness Group, Fort Snelling, MN, and his promotion to colonel. He was handpicked to become commander, Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe Reserve Corps (Forward) in Maastricht, the Netherlands. This group would serve as the landing point for U.S. forces that would be brought to the continent in the event of a European conflict. On completion of this NATO assignment, he was asked by the commander of the First Infantry Division to move to Fort Riley, KS to become the deputy post commander, the position he held until his retirement in 1984.
Jack and Liz and their two children settled in back in Minnesota and began their second career of service. Jack was to follow his 27 years of support to the nation in the military with 34 years of service to his country, his community and his family. Jack noted shortly after his retirement that “West Point taught me Duty, Honor, Country and the importance of God and family in your life.”
On retirement Jack became a businessman who surrounded himself with service to his community and his family. He sold antiques and first edition books, worked in the community in every way possible, and volunteered in Minneapolis as a tutor at inner city schools, as guardian ad litem for abused children, and as a hospice caregiver at the Veterans Administration.
Jack is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Liz, his children John and Catherine, his sister Susan Sullivan, and his grandchildren Camille and Christopher Howerton. Jack asked that he be remembered as a loving husband, a guiding father, and a proud soldier. “West Point was a good choice for me.” His dedication to God, Liz, his family and the nation was at the heart of his life, and being a soldier was his privilege. The “Colonel,” Jack Sobraske, was a man of dignity, service and dedication.
— G-2 Classmates