During nearly 30 years in the Marine Corps, Lt. Col. Zene Fearing ’76 built a

reputation for fixing things. He turned young men and women into disciplined soldiers and brought efficiency to every unit he commanded. Fearing didn’t mind this responsibility. After all, solving problems came naturally to him.

“They put me where the worst unit was, and I had to turn it into the best,” explains Fearing. “I always had my eyes set on the mission, and I always took care of my people. Most everything else takes care of itself after that.”

Fearing retired in 2005 and recently looked back on a career that took him to 120 countries. The Portsmouth, Va., native still marvels at the sites he’s seen, including the Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China. He has patrolled along the Korean Demilitarized Zone and in Guantanamo, Cuba, and even crossed the Sahara Desert on a camel.

After graduating from Elon with a degree in physical education, Fearing entered officer candidate school at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. One of his early assignments was also one of his most challenging. From 1980 to 1983, he served as a recruiting operations officer and later commanding officer at the recruiting station in Buffalo, N.Y. When he arrived, the station had one of the worst recruiting records in the Marines. By the time he left, it was in the top 10.

“I worked weekends, holidays, you name it,” recalls Fearing. “I always told the truth. I don’t think it’s a secret what the Marines are about. It’s a tough outfit, and we expect the best.”

Other highlights of his career include his service during Desert Storm in 1991. Fearing trained members of the Third Battalion Royal Saudi Marines in basic military tactics, techniques and procedures. One of the few Americans working directly with the Saudis, Fearing learned to speak Arabic and studied the Koran. Training the Saudi troops was another challenge for Fearing.

“Most of these Saudi marines were former sailors, but they didn’t have any ships, so we had to make marines out of them,” he says. “We spent a lot of time in the desert, where we trained, lived and patrolled. We lived among the Bedouins. You’d see camel caravans coming by as in Biblical times. It was phenomenal.”

Following assignments in Hawaii and Norfolk, Va., Fearing took over command of the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Okinawa, Japan, which trains 15,000 soldiers a year in jungle warfare.

“We had all the snakes and bugs you’d ever want to see,” Fearing says. “I wanted them to live, eat, breathe and think in a miserable environment. I think I was good at creating that environment.”

Fearing was commanding the center on Sept. 11, 2001. Before long,

he was asked to help train soldiers in the Philippines to fight the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which has ties to al Qaeda. Once the war in Iraq began in 2003, Fearing and his staff were chal-lenged to train reserve units and prepare civilian soldiers for battle. Because of the terrorist threat, Fearing delayed his retirement for a year.

His last military assignment was to take over global force management duties for the Navy at Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, where he reported to Rear Admiral William E. Gortney ’77. Fearing was in charge of leading a staff that tracked global naval deployments. He also wrote deployment orders for soldiers preparing for new assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Those who know Fearing are not surprised by his military success.

“The Marines are not going to pick just anyone to be a commanding officer of a unit,” says Capt. Tom Summers ’78 of Stuart, Fla., who is a pilot for American Airlines and the Navy Reserves.

“The majority of Marines had to go through jungle warfare training, and being the commanding officer of the jungle training school was a major accomplishment.”

Jay Butler ’78 of Suffolk, Va., calls his Kappa Sigma fraternity brother “one of the most loyal friends you’ll ever have. Everybody respected Zene because he stuck to his values. He was loyal to his fraternity and school, and he was loyal to his country.”

Several of Fearing’s family members attended Elon, including his father, Zenas Elbert Fearing Sr. ’41, who like his son played football at Elon.

“I wouldn’t be here today without my Elon experience,” says Fearing, who lives in Nags Head, N.C., with his wife, Jennifer. “Elon put it all together for me so I was able to achieve.”

Fearing says he is most proud of the discipline and values he instilled in his soldiers.

“I always took great care of my men and women,” he says. “If I’ve had any achievements, it would be those lives that I’ve touched.”

The Trouble-ShooterBy JaleH HagigH

Zene Fearing ’76, above left, along the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 1993 and, above right, along the Kuwait/Iraq border during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

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