Gregg Louis Gerometta spent the first 18 years of his life in Ogden Dunes, IN, as the  youngest of three sons. He had a carefree boyhood, growing up in the  Dunes of Lake Michigan. He played soccer on one of the first Ogden Dunes  teams and had the opportunity to play soccer in England and stay at  Eton. Since he was a leader on the 1977 Indiana state championship  Portage High School football team, the school has established a  perma­nent trophy in Gregg's memory, to be awarded each year to the  outstanding football player who most closely exemplifies the qualities  of perseverance, dedication, and commitment.

Gregg was the epitome  of the word "perseverance." All of Gregg's accomplishments were the  result of hard work, long struggles, and extra effort. He earned  everything he had and, in the process, learned to appreciate everything.

Gregg  entered West Point in 1979 via the United States Military Academy  Preparatory School. While at the prep school, he gained a reputation for  having a genuine love for the Army, a remarkable talent in all things  athletic, a powerful sense of duty, a boyish love for fun, and a lot of  heart.

Gregg brought these same qualities with him to West Point.  He excelled in athletics, lettering in both football and lacrosse. In  addition to these extra-curricular activities, Gregg made time to serve  as his company's honor representative, a duty he cherished and performed  with great care. The final activity that consumed much of Gregg's time  was academics. Unfortunately, much of this time was in the form of  summer school, and Gregg eventually succumbed to the Academic Board  during his First Class year.

It was during this dark moment chat  Gregg's true character, his trademark of perseverance, shone through.  Instead of bemoaning his misfortune, Gregg quickly regrouped and pursued  his dream of military service through another vehicle. A lesser man  would have been paralyzed into inaction after leaving West Point, but  not Gregg. Gregg built on his West Point experience, and grew from it.  His goal was to be commissioned, and he was not deterred.

Gregg  enrolled in Indiana University, where he met his future wife, Susan  Newkirk. He was to say later "she's just the kind of girl I've been  looking for." He graduated in 1985 as a Distinguished Military Graduate  from the school's ROTC program. At Indiana, Gregg served as the cadet  commander of his ROTC battalion and won the coveted GEN George C.  Marshall Award, as well as his Army commission.

Like his father,  Class of '49, Gregg entered the Infantry and served in the Army from  1985-94 in Korea, Ft. Lewis, and Ft. Benning. Before leaving Ft. Lewis,  he achieved one of his dreams, to climb a mountain. He did just  chat-climbing Mt. Rainier all the way to the summit. He commanded a  company in the 3rd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division in Korea. Along the  way, he earned the Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantryman  Badge, Army Commendation Medal, and several other awards.

In 1994,  Gregg resigned from the Army in order to return to his beloved Indiana  and pursue a new career with the Indiana State Police. Again, Gregg made  a career choice that was built on service to others and personal  sacrifice. His military experience transitioned him well to the state  police force, where Gregg's superior noted chat "He would go the extra  mile for everyone. He just really enjoyed helping people."

Those  two short sentences capture the very essence of Gregg Gerometta. His  willingness to go the extra mile was demonstrated in his steadfast  pursuit of joining the Army. His enjoyment in helping people was  reflected in his choice of two careers that revolved around public  service.

On 9 Apr 1996, Gregg finally met an obstacle even his  iron will and dogged determination could not surmount. A fighter to the  end, Gregg did not go gently into that good night but, nonetheless, lost  his battle with cancer just six days after his 36th birthday. He left  behind his wife Susan; his daughter Amelia; his son Tyler; his father  and mother Arthur and Nancy; and his brothers Bruce and Marshall. He was  an inspiration to us all. The nurses at the Columbus Hospital said he  helped them, and the hospital staff held a memorial service in his honor  the day of his funeral.

Gregg also left us all an enduring legacy  of a man who would not quit. A man who tried and tried again. A man who  completed what he set out to do. A man who served his country, his  state, his family, and his God with a passion. Gregg was a good man who  "fought the good fight" in a way that serves as a shining example to us  all.

Gregg, you have left a terrible void in our lives, but you will always have a special place in our hearts. You are sadly missed.

God, make us content, not only with what we can understand, but with what we fail to understand.

This act is faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

—Arthur L. '49, Nancy Gerometta & Kevin Doughtery '83