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 challenged 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
By Jaleh Hagigh
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
“I worked weekends, holidays, you
and Afghanistan.
name it,” recalls Fearing. “I always told
Those who know Fearing are not
the truth. I don’t think it’s a secret what
the Marines are about. It’s a tough outfit, surprised by his military success.
“The Marines are not going to pick
and we expect the best.”
Other highlights of his career just anyone to be a commanding officer
of a unit,” says Capt. Tom Summers
include his service during Desert Storm
in 1991. Fearing trained members of the ’78 of Stuart, Fla., who is a pilot for
Third Battalion Royal Saudi Marines in American Airlines and the Navy Reserves.
basic military tactics, techniques and “The majority of Marines had to go
through jungle warfare training, and
procedures. One of the few Americans
being the commanding officer of the
working directly with the Saudis, Fearing
jungle training school was a major
learned to speak Arabic and studied the
accomplishment.”
Koran. Training the Saudi troops was
Jay Butler ’78 of Suffolk, Va., calls
another challenge for Fearing.
his
Kappa
Sigma fraternity brother “one
“Most of these Saudi marines were
of
the
most
loyal friends you’ll ever have.
former sailors, but they didn’t have any
Everybody
respected Zene because he
ships, so we had to make marines out
stuck
to
his
values. He was loyal to his
of them,” he says. “We spent a lot of
time in the desert, where we trained, fraternity and school, and he was loyal
to his country.”
lived and patrolled. We lived among
Several of Fearing’s family members
the Bedouins. You’d see camel caravans
attended Elon, including his father,
coming by as in Biblical times. It was
Zenas Elbert Fearing Sr. ’41, who like
phenomenal.”
his son played football at Elon.
Following assignments in Hawaii
“I wouldn’t be here today without
and Norfolk, Va., Fearing took over
my Elon experience,” says Fearing, who
command of the Jungle Warfare Training
lives in Nags Head, N.C., with his wife,
Center in Okinawa, Japan, which
Jennifer. “Elon put it all together for me
trains 15,000 soldiers a year in jungle
so I was able to achieve.”
warfare.
Fearing says he is most proud of
“We had all the snakes and bugs you’d
the discipline and values he instilled in
ever want to see,” Fearing says. “I wanted
his soldiers.
them to live, eat, breathe and think in
“I always took great care of my men
a miserable environment. I think I was
and
women,” he says. “If I’ve had any
good at creating that environment.”
achievements,
it would be those lives
Fearing was commanding the
that
I’ve
touched.”
center on Sept. 11, 2001. Before long,
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.
The Trouble-Shooter
D
uring 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.
MAGAZINE OF ELON
19