John “Jack” Eckert Scrapbooks

John P. “Jack” Eckert was born June 25, 1894 in the District of Columbia to John A. and Catherine Elizabeth (Heitzhaus) Eckert. The Eckert family has a history of military service, and Jack’s father served in the 65th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in his youth. John A. Eckert was a banker and president of the Columbia Planograph Company in Washington, D.C. Jack had several siblings, including Norman, Esther, Arthur, Milton, and Kay. Col. Norman J. Eckert served in World War I, World War II, and Korea, and many of the Eckert grandchildren and great-grandchildren have completed tours in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

After studying biology at the Catholic University of America, Jack served as Second Lieutenant, 16th Field Artillery Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division during World War I. He served in the European Theater under Gen. John J. Pershing in the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) and was stationed in France and Germany from May 1918 to July 1919.

Jack married Louise Smith August 2, 1919 in Manhattan, New York, the daughter of David and Florence (Keeler) Smith. The couple had two children: John Keeler Eckert (1920-1944) and Robert Paulle Eckert (1923-1951). He continued to serve in the military, and he was a Colonel in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II with Gen. Joseph Warren Stilwell. He also served in Korea, where he investigated the troop withdrawal to the Pusan Peninsula. Eckert received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, World War I Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Korean Service Medal, and he also received the Order of Orange Nassau from Holland. He retired to Sarasota, Florida and died May 23, 1966. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.