CARLISLE, Pa. –The Army Heritage Center Foundation (AHCF) in Carlisle is now embarking on an expansion of its immersive military training, thanks to a generous endowment from Nancy and Bob Gessner, daughter and son-in-law of the late Colonel Donald Esper of Carlisle, PA.
The Colonel Donald Esper Endowment will fund a greater number of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Staff Rides, a mandatory Army commissioning requirement that immerses ROTC cadets in the experience of important turning points in military history. By visiting the actual scene of these historical events, participants learn about the terrain, tactics, and leadership decisions that shaped the outcomes. Cadets who participate in the AHCF program will experience the lessons of Gettysburg.
The Colonel Donald Esper Endowment / AHCF ROTC Staff Ride Program is the legacy of a local military hero who passed away in 2023 after an impressive 34 years of service.
Colonel Esper enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and served in combat in the Pacific during World War II. He received his Army commission as an Armor Second Lieutenant in April 1951. He served with the 11th Armored Cavalry at Ft. Carson, Colorado, the 66th Tank Battalion in post-War West Germany, the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, the 7th Infantry Division in South Korea, the 25th Infantry Division in South Vietnam, and as Battalion Commander of the 1st of the 33rd Armored Battalion in Gelnhausen, West Germany. While in command, the Battalion won the U.S. Army Europe Tank Gunnery Championship.
He also attended service schools at Fort Knox, Fort Leavenworth, and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. His final tour of duty was as Garrison Commander at Carlisle Barracks.
ROTC was an important part of Colonel Esper’s legacy. After World War II, he earned a degree in Business Administration at Xavier University, where he was an ROTC cadet. Later in his career, Colonel Esper earned a Master’s Degree while teaching ROTC at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
He and his wife Zetta Ann raised three children and were stationed all over the world until finally settling in Carlisle in 1975. Esper retired in 1980 after 34 years of military service, then worked for 10 additional years for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
After leaving PEMA, Esper was active with his family, in St. Patrick’s Church in Carlisle and the Carlisle Rotary Club.
The Esper Endowment is one of the gifts that helps to power the work of the AHCF, the nonprofit that supports the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) and their ever-growing education and community engagement efforts.
“Bob and I are so pleased to have worked with AHCF to create this endowment honoring my dad,” said Nancy Gessner. “AHCF will be faithful and responsible stewards of my dad’s legacy. The endowment fund is the perfect confluence of AHCF’s expertise with ROTC Staff rides and my dad’s passion for bringing the events at Gettysburg to life along with his background as an ROTC cadet at Xavier University and as a teacher of ROTC cadets at Canisius University.”
In March, NEWSWEEK readers chose USAHEC as one of the “Top 10 Free Museums” in the U.S. Many activities that will be open to the public are being offered this year in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
“The Army Heritage Center Foundation is overjoyed with the Esper family’s generous gift, which will have a large and lasting impact on the education of up-and-coming leaders,” said AHCF Board Chairman Robert DeSousa, Esq., a 28-year veteran of the Army National Guard who served during the Iraq War and held the post of State Judge Advocate. “New recruits bring new energy, enthusiasm, and insights that inspire us to carry on our mission to preserve and share American history and the stories of our Soldiers with our nation.”
Foundation President Julie Germany also applauded the Gessners’ generosity. “Colonel Esper’s legacy lives on in the cadets who will walk through our doors and shape the future of our nation,” said Germany. “Our foundation is looking forward to offering a greater number of staff rides and helping to fund the future of USAHEC and honor those who have served and sacrificed.”
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About the Army Heritage Center Foundation
The Army Heritage Center Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that is honored to advance the mission of USAHEC, one of the nation’s premier sites dedicated to preserving and honoring the experiences and memories of those who served in the U.S. Army. USAHEC memorializes the lives and lived experiences of our soldiers in photographs, artifacts, books and more. The Army Heritage Center Foundation (armyheritage.org) is a charitable organization separate from the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. As a private, nonprofit, non-Federal entity, AHCF is not affiliated with the Department of Defense and has no governmental status.