It is my sad duty to report the passing of Colonel (R) Gerald K. Griffin. “Jerry” as he was known to us, was the primary founder of the 16th Infantry Regiment Association. He and four others founded the Association in 1989 and formalized it as a charitable veterans organization with the IRS in 1990. Jerry also served as the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment for 10 years (27 Sep 96-2 Aug 06) which well may be a record (The regulation actually limits an individual to six years, but as we all know, that would not stop Jerry!). Jerry was a man of action. He did not talk about things we should do, he did them. His influence on this organization was enormous and almost all of the customs, traditions, and programs established for this Association were his. As one of our members said recently, the 16th Infantry Regiment Association was “Jerry’s baby.” While he was active, his everyday activities often seemed to be focused on improving the size of our membership, the quality of our programs, and the care and assistance we can provide our active duty soldiers as well as our own former Rangers. Jerry was a man people seemed to love—or not—but no one would argue that Jerry was not a strong leader or did not look out for the best interests of the Association and its members. And he was always about the REGIMENT. As he liked to say, “We are ALL Rangers, not A Company Rangers, or B Company Rangers, or 4th Battalion Rangers. This is a Regiment and we need to remember it and celebrate it that way.” God bless you Jerry and thank you for all you did for the Regiment.

Semper Paratus!  Always Ready!