3RD BATTALION & INDIA CO TAC Officer COMMANDER JOHN HORLBECK United States Navy

CDR Horlbeck is a native of Charleston, South Carolina and was raised there. He attended Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, West Virginia for two years from 1970 – 1972. Upon the closure of the school at the end of the 1971-1972 school year, he returned to Charleston and graduated from Porter-Gaud School in May 1973. He entered The Citadel in August 1973 and subsequently graduated in May 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

CDR Horlbeck reported to Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island in June 1978 and was commissioned an Ensign in September 1978. He then served in a variety of assignments afloat and ashore, concentrating in the areas of ship operations, engineering, logistics, administration, and training. During the course of his naval career, he completed five extended overseas deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, and resided in Rhode Island, California, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Virginia. During the assignment in Louisiana he completed the three-year Naval Command and Staff non-resident course for the Navy War College. CDR Horlbeck’s last assignment with the Navy was with the staff of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia as Logistics Readiness Center Operations Officer. He retired from the Navy in October 2000.

In December 2000, CDR Horlbeck graduated from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia with a Master’s Degree in Education. Following completion of his student-teaching requirement at Great Bridge Middle School, Chesapeake, Virginia in March 2001, he and his family relocated to South Carolina in July 2001 to accept a position as Assistant Head and Middle School Mathematics teacher at Thomas Hart Academy, Hartsville, South Carolina. In June 2002 CDR Horlbeck accepted the position of Headmaster and served in that position until June 2009. In April 2009 he accepted an offer to assume the position of Headmaster at Mason Preparatory School in Charleston, SC and served in that position from June 2009 to June 2012. He joined the Commandant’s Department at The Citadel as a company tactical officer in August 2012.

CDR Horlbeck has a wide variety of interests; they include soccer, music (piano and choral singing), genealogy, and fishing. He is a member of the U.S Naval Institute, South Carolina Society of Colonial Wars, French Huguenot Society of South Carolina, Agricultural Society of South Carolina, St. Cecilia Society, New England Society, Charleston Men’s Chorus, and Theta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order. He is a past member of the Advisory Board for St. Alban’s Chapel (Anglican), The Citadel.

CDR Horlbeck was married to the late Gretchen Lee Baker of Johnsonville, South Carolina for nearly 36 years. CDR Horlbeck has two sons: one attends The College of Charleston and the other is a 2012 graduate of The Citadel. CDR Horlbeck and his family are members of St. John’s Parish Church (Anglican) on John’s Island.