Staff photo by Fritz Busch Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (GFW) High School English teacher Jonathan Ceplecha of Redwood Falls is an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. He retired from the U.S. Army as Lieutenant Colonel with 30 years service.

WINTHROP — Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) High School English teacher Jonathon Ceplecha comes from a family with lots of United States military service.

A retired U.S. Army officer and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran with 30 years service, Jonathon Ceplecha said his family has 110 years military service dating back to the Revolutionary War.

His father Capt. Stanley Ceplecha was an Army Combat Medical Battalion Commander and doctor, serving with the Army 3rd Battalion in Europe during World War II.

“I’m very proud of my family’s military service,” said Ceplecha.

His nephew is an Army Ranger officer and platoon leader in Arlington, Va.

Submitted photo Lt. Col. Jon Ceplecha poses with Iraqi youth during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His mother, Capt. Rowena Ceplecha, was an Army Registered Nurse in the Pacific Theater, serving in New Guinea.

Jonathon Ceplecha served with the 3rd Army Battalion in Camp Anaconda in Operation Iraqi Freedom, aka the 2003 War Against Iraq.

“I was a purchasing officer. We bought things from Iraqis for the Army. An Iraqi man carried my money. One of the Iraqis I worked with, who was one of the men who bought things for me, was the best man I ever knew,” Ceplecha said.

“Another Iraqi who drove me around, was actually a barber,” he added.

He described life in Camp Anaconda a bit more.

Submitted photos Lt. Col. Jon Ceplecha’s parents and World War II Army veterans Stanley Ceplecha and Rowena Ceplecha. The Ceplecha family has served in the U.S. military for 110 years, dating back to the Revolutionary War. That figure continues to climb with family members still serving.

“We called it (Camp Anaconda) Mortaritaville. We got mortared all the time,” Ceplecha said.

A mortar is a muzzle-loading, high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range, according to WordNet.

A soldier described mortar attacks at Camp Anaconda as feeling like being in the middle of an earthquake. Attacks often increased around elections and holidays, according to a Stars and Stripes story.

The camp was luxurious by Army standards with indoor and outdoor pools, a first-run movie theater and gym facilities.

Ceplecha helped set up a National Training System for the National Guard and Reserves at Fort Hunter Liggett, a 160,000-acre year-round training environment in Monterey County, Ca., where the movie “We Were Soldiers” was filmed. He also helped set up training systems in Fort McCoy, Wis. and Fort Dix, N.J.

Submitted photo Lt. Col. Jon Ceplecha poses with an Iraqi friend during Operation Iraqi Freedom, also known as the 2003 War Against Iraq.

Ceplecha said none of his family members were Vietnam veterans but he considers them the most under-appreciated and best veterans.

“They’re the best of us. The greatest generation, an example for me,” he said.

His brother Christopher, a retired U.S. Air Force fighter and test pilot, was involved in many military conflicts from 1982 to 2009. He now flies for Southwest Airlines.

A graduate of St. John’s University, the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, Ceplecha taught history at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis in the 1990s.

“I’ve come to really enjoy teaching literature, especially dystopian (speculative science fiction novels). His favorites include Lord of the Flies, The Outsiders, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby.”

“It was a privilege to serve my country,” he added. “America is built on the idea of liberty.