JOHN C. (“JACK”) ENSCH
Captain (Retired), United States Navy
John C. Ensch is a retired Captain from the U.S. Navy. Following retirement, Jack joined the San Diego Padres Baseball Club as Director of Military Marketing, and established the only military marketing department in all of professional sports. The Padres have become known as the “Team of the Military” due to all of the programs and support they provide for the military community.
Jack was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy, upon completion of Aviation Officer Candidate training at NAS Pensacola, Florida in 1965. Upon receiving his wings and designation as a Naval Flight Officer in January 1966, Jack was assigned to Fighter Squadrons ONE TWENTY-ONE and TWENTY-ONE, where he completed two combat deployments to Southeast Asia in the USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43) and the USS RANGER (CVA-61). He then served as Aide to Commander, Naval Air Test Center, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Following F-4 “Phantom” aircraft refresher training in January 1971, Jack was assigned to Fighter Squadron ONE SIXTY-ONE, making two more combat deployments to Southeast Asia in the USS MIDWAY (CVA-41). After being credited with two confirmed MiG-17 shoot-downs and completing over 285 combat missions, Jack was shot down over North Vietnam by a surface-to-air (SAM) missile on August 25, 1972. He was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi until he returned with the last group of repatriated officers on March 29, 1973.
Following convalescence at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, Jack was assigned as Executive Officer of Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at NAS Miramar. In April 1976, he reported to Fighter Squadron ONE TWENTY-FOUR, for F-14 Tomcat transition training and later that year was assigned to Fighter Squadron ONE, where he completed two Western Pacific deployments in the USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65).
From 1979 to 1982, Jack served as Executive Officer of Fighter Squadron ONE TWENTY-FOUR and ONE FOURTEEN and then as Commanding Officer of the latter, with which he deployed in the USS AMERICA (CV-66). Upon graduation from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, DC, Jack served two years on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. In August 1985, Jack was assigned to Carrier Group SIX as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and completed Mediterranean deployments in the USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) and the USS FORRESTAL (CV-59). Jack also served as Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Airborne Early Warning Wing, Pacific and then as Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Key West. In July 1991, he transferred to the Chief of Naval Education and Training in Pensacola as the Inspector General. In June 1993, he assumed command as Commander, Naval Training Center San Diego, from where he retired in November 1995.
During Jack’s career, he accumulated over 3,000 flight hours and over 800 carrier landings in F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat fighters. He was awarded the Navy Cross, Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star with Combat “V” (two awards), Purple Heart (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Air Medal (18 awards), Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” (three awards), Prisoner of War Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and numerous other individual, unit and service awards.
Jack was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University in 1964 and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1978. Jack is married to the former Kathryn Ubben of Pekin, Illinois. They have three daughters: Elizabeth, Rebecca and Christine; and five grandchildren: Sydney, Ryan, Matthew, Emily and Damian.