COL John R. New, Sr., USA Retired; enlisted as a Private in the Regular Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on February 20, 1967. He spent over six years on active duty serving as Squad Leader and Platoon Sergeant in Airborne Infantry units in CONUS and overseas.  He received a direct commission during his second combat tour in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

After active duty, John served in both the National Guard and Army Reserve. As a commissioned officer, he has commanded units at Platoon, Company and Battalion levels and has worked as a Staff Officer at Brigade, Division and MACOM levels.  He was recalled to active duty for both Desert Storm and Bosnia (where he ran the Mobilization Station at Fort Benning, GA).  In his last duty assignment, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of Plans, Operations and Security (IMA) for the Military District of Washington, Fort L.J. McNair, and Washington, DC.  He retired after 33 years of active and reserve service on January 20, 2000.

John has numerous awards and decorations but to him the ones that he treasured dearly are the Purple Heart (two awards) and the Combat Infantry Badge.

John is a graduate of numerous military schools including the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS and the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.  He is Branch qualified infantry, Military Police and Transportation.  He has a BS in Law Enforcement and Corrections from the Pennsylvania State University, a MS in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama as well as a MS in Management from the National Louis University.

In civilian life he was a Federal Criminal Investigator with the Office of Investigations, and U.S. Customs Services for over 30 years.  He finished his career in Mobile, AL as a group supervisor responsible for port security, export control and counter terrorism.  Prior to his assignment in Mobile, he was Chief, Training and Behavioral Science, Undercover Operations Branch in Washington, DC.  In 1987 he was named “Investigator of the Year” by the Federal Investigators Association.

In 1991, John completed an undercover investigation centering on an attempt by the government of Pakistan (ISI) to acquire specialty steel and restricted nuclear material destined for use in that nation’s nuclear weapons program. As a direct result of that investigation, four billion dollars in aid (including F-16s) was canceled by the Congress of the United States.  He is an acknowledged international expert in undercover operations having taught over 50% of all U.S. Customs operatives as well as agents from six allied governments and 34 state, local and federal agencies.  He is also an expert in Consequence Management and Anti-Terrorist Operations Planning.

John is a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW, DAV, ROA, and MOA.  He was past State (Alabama) President of the Federal Investigations Association and the South Alabama Veterans Council in Mobile, AL, where he dealt with veteran’s issues in an eight-county area.  He was one of the founding members of Honor Flight South Alabama and was very active in the Veterans community at all levels.

He also served as an ombudsman for the Alabama committee of the Employer Support of Guard and Reserve.  In 1990, he was elected National President of the U.S. Customs Service of Disabled Veterans Association, the first organization of it’s kind in the Federal Government.  In this position, he led the fight to have disabled veterans rated 30% or higher recognized as a separate protected class in senior management promotions.  He also was the point man on the rewrite of the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Plan for the U.S. Treasury Department.  On September 19, 2012, Governor Robert Bentley appointed him to the State Veterans Board.

John was an avid history buff and railroad fan. In his spare time, he loved to read and build dioramas.

John is preceded in death by his parents, John E. and Lillian New.  He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Mary Michelle New; children, John New, Jr., Andrea New; stepson, T.J. Madison; grandchildren, Payton, Gavin, Erin, Caitlyn, Taylor and Tommy; siblings, Daniel New, Denise Hagan, Dennis New, Darren New and Lora Clay; along with other family members and friends.

He loved God, he loved his Family, and he loved his Country. May he rest in peace.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 711 College Avenue in Daphne, AL, at 11AM. There will be a time of visitation before the service beginning at 10AM.

Interment will take place at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to any of the following organizations that were dear to John.  The Purple Heart Service Foundation, the Tunnel to Tower Foundation, or Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust.