Sherman L. Fleek is an American

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

. He was born at

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...

and raised in

Layton, Utah Layton is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 81,773, with 2022 estimates showing a slight increase to 84,665. Layton ...

. His work specializes on

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

military history, particularly the history of the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. He has also written on topics related to

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

(LDS) history that are not always military in nature. FLEEK SECARMY Award

Career

Fleek rose to the rank of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, serving as an

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, Special Forces officer, and historian in several command and staff positions. His last duty in the Army was chief historian for the

National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

in Washington D.C., before retiring in 2002. In 2005, during his service as a historian for a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

non-profit preservation foundation in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, the Army approached Fleek to enter federal civil service and become the official command historian for the United States Army reconstruction effort in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Fleek deployed to Iraq for four months in 2006, and followed that by serving as command historian of

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

from 2007 to 2009. In May 2009, he assumed the position as historian for the United States Military Academy at West Point. He retired from federal service in May 2023 after 43 years of combined military and civilian service.http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/6628 The Mormon Battalion: the Most Unusual Military Unit in American History Fleek received a bachelor's degree in English from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

in 1982, and a master's degree in history from the

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate an ...

while serving in the Army at

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...

. He is a Latter-day Saint and served an

LDS mission A mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether ...

in the Idaho Pocatello Mission from 1977 to 1979, after completing four years in Germany as an enlisted soldier with the Army from 1973 to 1977.

Works

Books by Fleek include: ''History May Be Searched in Vain: A Military History of the Mormon Battalion'' (414 pages,

Arthur H. Clark Company The Arthur H. Clark Company (founded 1902) is a major printer of publications related to the history of the Western United States. The company was named for its founder Arthur Henry Clark (1868-1951). He was born and raised in England and atten ...

) which won the Utah State History Society Amy Price Military History Award for 2007. He also wrote, ''Place the Headstones Where They Belong : Thomas Neibaur, WWI Soldier'' (Logan: Utah State University Press). Fleek has contributed many articles to ''Military History'', '' America's Civil War'', ''Wild West'', ''Army'', and ''

Mormon Heritage Magazine Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into sever ...

''. Fleek has also wrote two historical fiction novels that focus on the Mormon Battalion and General Stephen Kearny's Army of the West during the Mexican War. The first is ''Called to War: Dawn of the Mormon Battalion'' (2010) and a sequel ''War in the Far West: the March of the Mormon Battalion'', (2011). In November 2011, publisher Greg Kofford Books released ''Saints of Valor: Mormon Medal of Honor Recipients'' that details the stories of Latter-day Saints who have received the Medal of Honor. In March 2023, Fleek's magnus opus was published by the

University of Kansas Press The University Press of Kansas is a publisher located in Lawrence, Kansas. Operated by The University of Kansas, it represents the six state universities in the US state of Kansas: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas S ...

, ''The Mormon Military Experience: 1838 to the Cold War.'' This book was twelve years in the writing and review process. Robert Freeman Professor of Religion and Church History at Brigham Young University is the co-author who joined with Sherman Fleek in 2011 to produce this book. The book is a comprehensive history of the LDS Church's military involvement and its unique role in American military history. In April 2024,

Texas A & M University Press Texas A&M University Press (also known informally as TAMU Press) is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Overview The Texas A&M ...

published ''MacArthur and West Point: How the General and the Academy Shaped Each Other'', a narrative history of General MacArthur's relationship with West Point during his entire life.

Valor Award

Sherman Fleek was awarded the U.S. Army's highest civilian decoration for bravery on May 25, 2016, by

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

Eric K. Fanning. On May 31, 2015, while on vacation in California, Fleek was waiting to be seated at an IHOP restaurant when an armed robber entered and demanded all the money from the cashier. In a few seconds Sherman Fleek decided to rush the gunman from behind from his position in the waiting area. With no weapon, Fleek struck the armed man and knocked him across the cashier counter, then a struggle for the pistol ensued. At one point the assailant pointed the pistol at Fleek's chest. Struggling to gain control of the weapon the gunman eventually broke free and escaped with the pistol. Months later army officials at the U.S. Military Academy nominated Fleek for the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor, which was approved in the spring of 2016 and presented to him at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

in a special ceremony.

The Award Citation

''For heroic achievement on 31 May 2015 Mr. Sherman L. Fleek was on leave visiting a restaurant when he witnessed an armed robbery in progress. Without hesitation, he tackled and fought a man robbing the cashier at gunpoint and forced the robber to flee. His actions, which saved the lives of countless patrons and employees, exemplify the Army values of duty, selfless service, and personal courage''.

Awards and decorations

Bibliography

Non-fiction: *''History May be Searched in Vain: A Military History of the Mormon Battalion'', Spokane, Washington: Arthur H. Clark Company,2006. , *''Place the Headstones Where They Belong: Thomas Neibaur, WWI Soldier'' Logan: Utah State University Press, 2008. *''Saints of Valor: Mormon Medal of Honor Recipients'' Greg Kofford Books, 2011. *''The Mormon Military Experience: 1838 to the Cold War,'' Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2023. *''MacArthur and West Point: How the General and the Academy Shaped Each Other'' College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2024 Novels: *''Called to War: Dawn of the Mormon Battalion'' 2010 *''War in the Far West: The March of the Mormon Battalion'' 2011

Sources

''BYU Magazine'' Spring 2007

this article by Kenneth Godfrey contains a reference to an article by Fleek in the footnote

BYU Conference to Salute LDS Veterans ''Mormon Times'', Nov 3, 2011

''Mormon Times'', May 24, 2012 * https://www.army.mil/article/168629/Soldiers__civilian_employees_earn_SecArmy_awards/, 26 May 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleek, Sherman L. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Latter Day Saints from Utah Brigham Young University alumni American Master Army Aviators University of Colorado Colorado Springs alumni People from Layton, Utah American military historians American male non-fiction writers