One of the highest ranking commissioned officers to come out of the Panther Valley, retired Lt. Col. John M. McFadden, a native of Summit Hill, will deliver the keynote address during the annual Memorial Day services to be held in Summit Hill Borough on Monday.

The program will get underway at 10 a.m. in Ludlow Park, followed by the traditional Memorial Day Parade, Carbon County’s largest tribute to our military.

During a 24-year career with the U.S. Army, McFadden, the eldest son of former town businesswoman Jean McFadden, handled command and staff officer positions around the world before retiring from the military in 1998 and later served as a personal service contractor and a foreign service officer in the U.S. Department of State. He currently lives in Summit Hill.

A 1970 graduate of Marian Catholic High School, he attended college and worked locally before his 1973 enlistment. Thirteen months after entering the Army, he was selected to attend Officer Candidate’s School where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1975. He served as platoon leader and company executive officer in the Panama Canal Zone from 1975-77.

After completing the Special Forces Qualification Course, he was stationed with the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, from 1977-82. He completed his college studies, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Lowell.

After the Infantry Officers Advanced course, he was assigned as a company commander in the 3rd Brigade in Korea’s Demilitarized Zone. McFadden was then selected for Foreign Officers training program, attending the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and earning a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Promoted to major, he was assigned as an adviser to the Venezuelan Special Forces for two years. Upon his return to the U.S., he was assigned to the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he served as a Battalion Executive Officer, Plans and Operations Officer, and Commander, B Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group.

Upon his promotion, Lt. Col. McFadden was assigned to 4th Special Operations Support Command at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, where he served as operations officer, executive officer, and eventually, director of special operations on the staff of the U.S. Army - Pacific.

During his military career, McFadden served in numerous countries, including Permanent Change of Stations in Germany, Panama, Korea, Venezuela and numerous temporary duty deployments worldwide. After his retirement, he was contracted by the U.S. government to provide safety and security services for U.S. government operations in conflict zones, including Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Sudan. In 2011, he accepted an offer to join the Foreign Service in the U.S. Department of State, where he served in Kenya, Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, and Washington, D.C., before retiring in June 2017.

Service details

W. Kevin O’Donnell, commander of American Legion Post 316, Summit Hill, will serve as master of ceremonies for the program, which will begin by his welcoming remarks and the invocation by the Rev. Ruth Ann Christopher, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of the Panther Valley, Summit Hill.

Paul R. McArdle, the borough’s longtime mayor and past commander of Post 316, will conduct the POW-MIA ceremony, followed by student orations by Panther Valley High School students Antonio Perilli, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address; Ava Kosciolek, Logan’s General Order; and Erika Dubosky, “In Flanders Field.”

Following the main address by Lt. Col. McFadden, Post 316 Chaplain Gregory Miller will read the Roll Call of Soldiers who passed away since last year’s Memorial Day, followed by taps and the rifle salute by the Post 316 honor guard. A bugler and drummer from the PVHS band will provide the accompaniment.

O’Donnell will offer closing remarks and the program will conclude with the benediction by Christopher.

Aubrey Delaney, daughter of Timothy and Donna Delaney of Summit Hill, will serve as the 2021 Poppy Queen for the program.

No White Bear service

The Legion announced it will not conduct the traditional Sunday service it normally holds at St. Joseph Cemetery, White Bear, but will read the roll call there at 1 p.m., with Panther Valley High School students Logan Polak, bugler, and Brendan Allen, drummer, to provide that accompaniment.