A decorated Vietnam War combat veteran was the honoree Friday at a Knights of Columbus Veterans Day observation at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Horseshoe Bay.

Jack Gless told stories of his experiences as a foot soldier in the jungles of Vietnam, where he became a squad leader and received two battlefield promotions during his one-year tour of duty there, from March 1968 to March1969.

Gless’s remarks Friday were preceded by recitation of the rosary, led by his wife Grace Gless, and the celebration of Mass. A brunch served in the parish Family Life Center closed the day’s event.

The decorated veteran said the fighting he experienced in Vietnam was jungle warfare, mostly short skirmishes. Encounters with the enemy varied from ground fighting to fighting from helicopters against enemy troops on the ground.

“The enemy often embedded themselves among villagers in jungle villages that were extremely hard to get to,” Gless said. “We would have to travel by foot through dense jungle and over rice paddies, many of which were full of landmines.

“Wherever we went, we carried all our gear—which weighed 80 pounds—on our backs. We called each other ‘grunts’ because that’s the sound we made hauling all that weight through the rugged terrain.”

During his tour of duty, Gless was awarded two Bronze Stars, the Army Air Medal, an Army Commendation and the Combat Infantry Badge.

After serving his year in Vietnam and being discharged, Gless returned home to the Houston area.

Once there, did he experience any of the anti-war hostility or post-traumatic stress disorder, joblessness or other ills experienced by many returning veterans?

“No – and for two reasons,” he said. “First, I returned to Texas where anti-war protests were hardly heard of then. Second, I returned to a strong family unit that was very supportive.

“I had been dating my high school sweetheart, Grace. When I left for Vietnam, she told me she would pray for me every day I was away and that she would be waiting for me at the airport when I returned.

“When I got back to Houston, there she was at the airport, just as she said she would be. And my family was there with her to welcome me home,” he said. He and Grace were married the next year, in 1970.

Once home, Gless found work with Texas Instruments doing an apprenticeship as a scientific instrument maker.

He subsequently got a job at Texaco Inc. where he worked for 20 years. He ended his career with another 17-year stint, this time at Rice University.

After retiring in 2012, he and Grace moved to Granite Shoals and became parishioners at St. Paul’s. They are both active in the church and frequently volunteer there.

The Veterans Day event was organized by Knights of Columbus Council 15365. The group is located at St. Paul’s.

In closing remarks, Homer Ahr, who leads the St. Paul’s Knights of Columbus group, called Gless “the epitome of service.”

Not only did he serve his country with distinction in the armed service but he continues to serve even today, volunteering his time to work on the St. Paul’s Armed Forces Honor Garden, Ahr said.