Arthur K. Fracker
Description
Colonel Arthur "Al" Fracker was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry in December 1980 upon graduation from Fort Benning, Georgia, Officer Candidate School. After completing the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Basic Airborne School, he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Mortar Platoon Leader, and HHC Executive Officer with 2/504th PIR, 82nd ABN Div at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Colonel Fracker joined the Georgia Army National Guard in 1988 as a traditional Guardsman. His assignments include commander of Co H, 122nd Airborne LRSU and HHC 1/121 IN, Assistant S-3 48th BDE, and Operations Officer for 1/108th AR, 48th BDE. His civilian job during this time was Training Analyst for the Congressionally mandated, DARPA-funded project, Simulations in Training for Advanced Readiness (SIMITAR). He also served as Battle Staff Synchronization Officer for this program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Following his work with the SIMITAR program, Colonel Fracker gained full-time Title 10 status and was assigned as the Deputy Special Assistant to the Commanding General at Fort Benning, Georgia, then promoted to Collective Training Branch Chief at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Virginia.
Following his assignment as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, ARNG at FORSCOM HQs, COL Fracker was reassigned to the Active Component in September 2005 to take command of the 2-351st IN, Training Support Battalion at Camp Blanding, Florida.
Following command, Fracker was assigned as Training Support Branch Chief at First Army, promoted to Colonel, and assigned as a Military Transition Team Chief, 16th IA Brigade in Tuz, Iraq. COL Fracker commanded an enhanced MiTT consisting of an Active Component Bn MiTT and an ARNG Bde MiTT and conducted combat convoy patrols, raids, ambushes, and weapons / hide site exploitation missions with his Iraqi counterparts. In February 2009, COL Fracker returned from Iraq and was assigned as the G3, Operations Officer of First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. After a year as G3, COL Fracker volunteered for duty in Afghanistan to serve as the Military Decision-making Process Team Chief at Camp Blackhorse, Kabul, Afghanistan. His team was charged with teaching newly formed Afghanistan Battalion Command and Staff leadership skills prior to their assignments throughout country. Upon completion of this duty, COL Fracker returned to Fort Gillem and retired from the Army 31 March 2011 and he immediately took a job as Account Executive for NGRAIN Corporation providing 3D interactive courseware solutions for training, operating, and maintaining equipment.
After two years with NGRAIN, COL Fracker returned to Afghanistan for six months as an Instructor for Human Behavior Pattern Recognition and Analysis, working with Coalition Forces to train them to identify and defeat the Insider Threat, which had quadrupled in the past two years.
Colonel Fracker’s service includes graduation from the United States Military Academy Preparatory School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1973 with subsequent attendance at West Point for two years. He was the first cadet to box in the New York Golden Gloves and was runner up in the state of New York. He is a two-time Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Michigan Golden Gloves and AAU champion and subsequently won 14 of 19 professional fights while serving in the military.
COL Fracker participated in many joint and service training exercises to include Operations Bright Star 81 and 93, Gallant Eagle, Victory Focus, and duty as an Observer Controller with 24th ID. He also participated in combat actions in Grenada during Operation URGENT FURY.
Colonel Fracker is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Advance Course, Mortar Platoon Leader’s Course, Jumpmaster School, Long Range Surveillance Leader Course, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle Course, Combined Arms Staff Services School, COIN Academy, Phoenix Academy, Combat Advisor Course, and Command and General Staff College. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Military Management from Ottawa University and a Masters of Education degree through Jones International University. COL Fracker is a life member of the National Infantry Association, a recipient of the Order of St Maurice, and was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 2009.
His decorations and awards include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge w/ Star, Senior Parachutist Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal w/ Silver Cluster and 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Medal w/ Star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with Star, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Medal w/ 3 Device, Army Reserve Overseas Ribbon, *Georgia Meritorious Service Medal, Georgia and Pennsylvania Commendation Medals, Georgia Drug Interdiction Ribbon, and Georgia State Activation Ribbon w/ 2 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Colonel Fracker has been the Senior Army Instructor teaching JROTC in Georgia for the past four years and is married to his Southern Miss Sunshine, Angela Fracker. They have two daughters, Sierra Marie Cobb and Kalin Monroe DeRosa, six grandchildren, and sons-in-law CW2 Patrick Cobb, who is currently assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Tiago DeRosa, Warehouse Manager in Tucker, Georgia.
