Who We Are

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47THINFANTRY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION PAST

HONORAY COLONELS AND HONORAY CSM’S OF THE REGIMENT

 BG Douglas Smith 2003 – 2008

CSM Ronald Fillingham

 Colonel Henry Jezek 2008 – 2010
George “Hoss” Ottesen

 Colonel Brice Barnes 2010- 2016

CSM Willard Johnson

 Colonel Michael Burns 2016– 2018

CSM Charles Oscar Walton

 Colonel John Ionoff 2018 – 2022

CSM Charles Oscar Walton 

LTC Christopher Bresko 2022-2026

CSM Joseph Evans

COL Kyle Feger 2026-

CSM Harris Pruitt

The 47th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Constituted in 1917 at Camp Syracuse, New York, the regiment fought in the Great War and was later inactivated in 1921. Reactivated in 1940, the regiment fought during World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Western Europe, then was inactivated in 1946. During the Cold War, the regiment saw multiple activations and inactivation's, with service both in the Regular Army and the Army Reserve; it fought in Vietnam. Ultimately it was reactivated as a training regiment, and as of 1999, it has been assigned to Fort Benning and consists of two active battalions.

Doug Smith's son Brian called me to let me know that Doug now has a firm date for his interment at Arlington National Cemetery:  Wednesday, May 8 at 3:00 pm.  

His funeral at Arlington comes exactly 25 months after Doug's death - he died on April 8, 2022.

 I believe Bob Pries is working to try to get a preferred room rate for the Clarion Arlington Court Suites for anyone planning to travel to the DC area for the funeral.  Susan and I will be going.

That's all I know for now but wanted to let you know so you can let the larger 47th Infantry Regiment know.

MG David T. Zabecki

Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1966, David T. Zabecki served in Vietnam during 1967-68 with Company C, 2 nd Battalion (Mechanized), 47 th Infantry. In 1975 he received a direct commission from Sergeant First Class to 1 st Lieutenant of Field Artillery. Following his commissioning, he completed the Field Artillery and Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Courses, as well as the Psychological Operations Officer Course and the Nuclear and Chemical Target Analysis Course.

In 1988, Zabecki graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College as the Distinguished Honor Graduate, receiving the General John J. Pershing

Award. After graduating

from the U.S. Army War College in 1995, he completed in 2002 the Executive

Program for Russian and American General Officers at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He then served as the American Co-Director of Exercise Torgau 2005, the largest Russian-American joint exercise since the end of World War II.

In addition to his military schooling, Zabecki’s civilian education includes Bachelors and Masters Degrees in History from Xavier University; a Master of Science in Systems Management from Florida Institute of Technology; and a Doctorate in Military History from Britain’s Royal Military College of Science, Cranfield University. He is the author, editor, or translator of more than 20 military history books, and several hundred articles in professional journals, magazines and encyclopedias. For many years, Zabecki served as the Editor of Vietnam Magazine, the only periodical dedicated specifically to the history of the Vietnam War. From 1996 to 1998 Colonel Zabecki served extensively in Bosnia and Former Yugoslavia. In early 2003 Brigadier General Zabecki was the Director of the U.S. Army Europe Deployment Operations Center, responsible for managing the movement of 33,000 troops and their equipment from Europe to the Gulf region for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Later in 2003 Major General

Zabecki served in Israel as the Senior Security Advisor on the State Department’s U.S. Coordinating and Monitoring Mission, charged with managing the Roadmap to Peace in the Middle East initiative. In 2004 he served as the Department of Defense Executive Director for all World War II 60 th Anniversary observances in Europe. He commanded the joint task forces that

supported the D-Day 60, Operation Market-Garden 60, and Battle of the Bulge 60 events. From 2005 to 2006 he served as the U.S. Army’s Senior Mission Commander in Europe South of the

Alps, headquartered in Vicenza, Italy. His final assignment prior to retiring in 2007 was Deputy Chief of Staff, Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, U.S. Army, Europe. In 2012 he served as the Dr. Leo A, Shifrin Distinguished Professor of Military History at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis.

General Zabecki’s military awards include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army General

Staff Badge, and the German Army Proficiency Badge in Gold. General Zabecki’s older son, Konrad, is a retired Marine who made seven combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Somali Coast.

Colonel John Ionoff    

Colonel John Ionoff joined the US Anny, 1 September 1955. After serving as an infantryman in the 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 3rd Armored Div. and 172nd Infantry Brigade, (Sep) and achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant, he was selected to attend Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA, graduating 6 November 1963. 

His many assignments included command of an Infantry OCS Company; Command of C Co, 2nd Bn 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Div., Vietnam; S-3, 2 Bn 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Div. Vietnam; Ass't. G-3 

9th Infantry Div., Vietnam; District Senior Advisor, Can-Giuoc District, Vietnam; S-3 and Executive Officer, 1st Bn 506th Infantry, 101st Abn Div;' ROTC Instructor, Bucknell University; Commander, 3rd Bn 187th Infantry, 101st Abn Div.; Staff Officer, Plans and Operations, DCSOPS, Dept of the Army; Inspector General, Virginia National Guard; Inspector qeneral, 101 st Abn Div. and In􀁣ector General, US Army Pacific.

Among his awards and decorations are the Silver Star, Legion of Merit (2), Bronze Star(2), Meritorious Service Medal(3), Army Commendation Medal(2), Virginia National Guard Legion-of Merit, Air Medal(5), Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Combat Infantry Badge, Airborne and Air Assault Badges, and the Army General Staff Identification Badge. Colonel Ionoff was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in l 991. He has been designated by the Secretary of the Army, a Distinguished Member of the 47th and currently serves as the Honorary Commander of the 47th Infantry Regiment. He is also a recipient of the Order of St Maurice, Primicerius. In addition to OCS, Colonel Ionoff attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Special Forces Officer Qualification Course, Command and General Staff College, and the Naval War College. He received his bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public administration from University of Nebraska, Omaha and his MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Colonel Ionoff retired 1 December 1993 after 38 years and three months of active service. He is married to Nancy Gilliam Ionoff. They reside in Valrico, FL where they are both active with family, church and community affairs. An avid runner, Colonel Ionoff has completed 30 marathons as well as countless other distance races. In addition, he and Nancy enjoy hiking portions of the Appalachian Trail. He is past President of Apostles Lutheran Church Council, past Co-Chair of the Wolf Laurel Madison County Hospice Benefit Committee and is currently serving as President of USAOCSAA.

Colonel (Ret) Kyle E. Feger is a 1988 graduate of Schuylkill Haven High School, Pennsylvania. Commissioned a Lieutenant of Infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1992, he is a graduate of The Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, US Army War College, Jungle Warfare School, Anti-Armor Leaders Course, Airborne School, Air Assault School, and Ranger School. 

Colonel Feger’s assignments include Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Adjutant for 1stBattalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, including a deployment to Panama for a Humanitarian Assistance Mission assisting Cuban refugees. Following the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Feger served as the Battalion Assistant Operations Officer (Air) and Commander of Bravo Company, 4thBattalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, and later as Aide de Camp to the Commanding General, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. This tour included a Peace Enforcement Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2000-2001. 

He then served as a Company Tactical Officer and Regimental Executive Officer, United States Corps of Cadets, West Point, NY.  As a Major, he served as the Brigade Logistics Officer, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer, 1st Battalion 6thInfantry (Mechanized) in Baumholder, Germany including two combat deployments to Iraq. He then served as an instructor in the Joint Warfighting Department, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. 

In 2010, he became Deputy Commander of the Ranger Training Brigade, and commanded 2nd Battalion, 47thInfantry Regiment, and the Warrior Transition Battalion serving wounded, ill, and injured combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He then deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan as Chief of Staff, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015. He attended the U.S. Army War College in 2016 and then served as the Chief of Training and Education Development at the Maneuver Center of Excellence from 2016-2019. He retired from the Army with over 27 years of commissioned service in July 2019.

Kyle continues to serve as a Department of Army Civilian since 2020 and is currently the Deputy Director of the Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) at Fort Benning, GA, where he is responsible for live prototype experimentation informing concepts, capabilities, and requirements for the Maneuver Force. 

Mr. Feger holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy and Master of Science from Long Island University and the United States Army War College.

Kyle is married to the former Ms. Pamela Pope of Smiths, Alabama for 32 years and they have four beautiful daughters: Tara, Courtney, Laney, and Kaleigh. 

Mr. (former Staff Sergeant) James Harris Pruitt is a combat infantry veteran of the Vietnam War. A key leader of the 47th Infantry Regimental Association for the last 18 years, Staff Sergeant Pruitt and his wife, Mrs. Sandra Pruitt, have formed a remarkable team to support 47thInfantry Regiment veterans and the currently-serving soldiers of the Regiment at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning). Dedicating countless hours of their time every year, they are one of the key liaison elements between the active duty Regiment and the veterans. Their devotion to this mission amounts to an almost full-time avocation.

Although they live in Newman, Georgia, which is more than 100 miles from Fort Moore, they make the trip at their own expense many times during the year, often remaining overnight in Columbus in order to accomplish the coordination task at hand. They represent Regiment’s veterans at change of command ceremonies for battalion commanders and change of responsibility ceremonies for command sergeants major. Representing the veterans at battalion spring balls, Christmas parties, and various other esprit-building events, they meet with active duty spouses and family members, and arrange child care services to allow the active duty families to attend the key events of the bi-annual Regimental Reunion, including the Regimental Dinner and the pool party. They attend most of the company graduations for both the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, sometimes as many as 18 graduations per year. After every interaction with the active Regiment, they prepare extensive after-action reports for the other members of the Regimental Association’s senior leadership. They are also two of the most important “heavy lifters” in the planning, organizing, coordinating, and execution of the bi-annual Regimental Reunions at Fort Moore. 

Mr. James Harris Pruitt was drafted in May 1966. He was one of the original group of soldiers who formed the newly re-activated 9th Infantry Division and trained at Fort Riley, Kansas. In January 1967 he was part of the advanced party which flew to Vietnam, while the main body of the division deployed via sea on the USNS General John Pope. Assigned to Company A, 2ndBattalion, 47th Infantry, Sergeant Pruitt served as a squad leader and platoon sergeant during Operation Junction City, Phases I and II; Operation Akron, Phases I, II, and III; and Operation Santa Fe. He was released from active duty in May 1968. Following the completion of his remaining Reserve obligation, he was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Army in May 1972. His military awards include: 

● Combat Infantryman Badge

● Army Commendation Medal

● Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars

● Good Conduct Medal

● National Defense Service Medal

● Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

● Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

● Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal Unit Citation