Colonel Fortunato (Fred) Priore was born in Utica, NY, on April 12, 1933, of parents who emigrated from Missenello, Italy. He attended Proctor High School and Manlius Military Academy. Colonel Priore graduated from the Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences in 1955 with a B.A. degree in Sociology. Upon graduation, he also received his commission as an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate, entering the Regular Army as an infantry officer in June 1955.
Colonel Priore had a very distinguished military career serving on active duty for 28 years before retiring from the Army in 1983. His stateside assignments included service with the 74″ Regimental Combat team, Fort Devens, MA; the 3rd Infantry Regiment (Old Guard), Fort Meyer, VA; the 7th Special Forces, the 82nd Airborne Division (as the Adjutant General) and the 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC: HQ, First U.S. Army, then at Governors Island, NY; HQ, Fifth Recruiting District, Chicago, IL; and the Pentagon serving on both the Army Staff and the Department of Defense Joint Staff His final assignment was Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, HQ, Sixth U.S. Army, the Presidio, San Francisco, CA. Colonel Priore’s overseas assignments included service in Korea, Germany and Vietnam. His military schooling included the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KN, and the Army War College, in Carlisle, PA.
While attending the War College, Colonel Priore completed a master’s degree in counseling from Shippensburg State University of Pennsylvania. Colonel Priore’s military awards and decorations included the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Senior Parachutist Badge. Colonel Priore was an active member of the Bohemian Club. After retiring from the Army in Alexandria, VA, he established a general contracting business. Colonel Priore died on December 28, 2004 in Arlington, VA, and is inurned in the Columbarium in the Arlington National Cemetery. Colonel Priore’s legacy of excellence serves as a proud reminder of the quality of Army officers commissioned through the Syracuse University Army ROTC Program, which has been training Army leaders since 1918.