LTC Nick Jur serves our country

As shared with Christy Porter, Managing Editor

Armed Forces Day is celebrated the third Saturday in May each year. This year it will be celebrated on May 20. This holiday honors all of the men and women currently serving our country, active and former, in the Army Reserve, National Guard or on Active Duty, and those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom. This is inclusive of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

One of America’s service members who is selflessly serving in the U.S. Army to keep us safe and free is Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas “Nick” Jur.

LTC Jur has not served alone, as he shares, “My service is not a single person’s journey. My wife, Deb, has been with me along the way in the struggles of moving, the joys of promotion and the heartache of being separated from her family. I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices she has made as well.”

Jur joined the Army for patriotic reasons in1998, 24-years ago.

Leaving Belleville, Ill., Jur did basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. His first assignment as a Reservist was in St. Louis, Mo., as a Finance NCO. Five years later he was Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into Chemical, Biological, and Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) and went Active Duty for the Army Reserve. His first assignment was at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif.

Jur’s service expectations changed following 9/11/2001. “911, followed by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, changed everything,” said Jur. “Changing from an enlisted Soldier to an Officer increased the level of responsibility and the expectations. Also, going Active Duty in 2005 changed my wife and my lives to this day, even as I continue to serve.”

In 2007-2008, he served in Baghdad, Iraq, where he conducted convoys and personal security detachments, saying, “Every day since Iraq has been gravy.”

His service would continue in Tulsa, Okla., and Texarkana, Texas. Positions would include platoon leader, company commander, Brigade Operations Officer, Operations Officer with Homeland Security at the Army Reserve Command in Fort Bragg, N.C., and as Battalion Executive Officer with Army Reserve Careers in St. Louis, Mo.

In 2018, he was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he worked on CBRN future capabilities and requirements under the Army Futures Command (AFC). This involved participating in “war games,” where concepts are purposed for changes in new technology, doctrine and unit structure to fight and win wars in the future. He is now currently stationed at the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he reviews curriculum for Intermediate Level Education for Officers with the rank of Major.

Prior to Jur entering the Army he earned a Biological Science Degree from Clemson University, and during his military career he earned two Master Degrees in Environmental Management and Homeland Security.

“My service has opened doors by providing educational benefits and skills developed through disciplined training,” shared Jur.

For those who may be interested in a path to better their life, he continued, “The military is a great way to advance yourself personally and professionally. There are physical and mental struggles, but these can result in a great sense of accomplishment when you apply teamwork and leadership skills. If one applies themselves appropriately to the military, you can achieve a positive, life changing experience.”

Jur currently has two nephews serving in the military, one is Active Duty for the Air Force and the other is an Army Reservist. They, all three, continue a tradition of family patriotism and service. Jur’s great-grandfather served in the trenches in France, during WWI, and his grandfather was to be in the initial invasion to Japan, and served stateside during WWII in Yuma, Ariz.

When asked what his plans for the future are, Jur answered, “I plan to retire from the Army in 2024 with around 25 years of service. Deb and I have a house in Edgar Springs with a small amount of acreage. I will take some time off and eventually get a ‘real’ job.”

We sincerely thank you, LTC Jur, for your many years of continuing service to our country, and your wife, Deb, for her commitment, as well. We wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors.