Veterinarian honored for service in Iraq

The 3rd Medical Command Desert Medics presented the Legion of Merit to COL Mark E. Gants Friday, at the Paul J. Consiglio Education Center, 1501 NE Jefferson St., Blue Springs.

The award is in recognition of Gants’ 35 years of active and reserve service in the United States Army Veterinary Corps. His service includes two tours as chief veterinary officer for Multinational Force Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a tour in Kosovo and a tour in Vietnam. In addition, Gants was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield/Storm and for Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia). He has also participated in numerous medical support missions in Central America, South America, Egypt, Korea, Southwest Asia and Europe. Gants served four years as commanding officer of the 445th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Services), of Independence.

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service and achievement. The decoration is issued both to United States military personnel and to military and political figures of foreign governments, and is sixth in the order of precedence of U.S. military decorations.

Gants was a veterinary practitioner in Blue Springs for 21 years. Gants and his wife, Becky, have three children, Mark, of Hamburg, Germany; Megan, of Blue Springs; and Kaitlin, of Warrensburg.