Major Jean-Luc Marcel Nash, USA (ret.), 64, of Cantonment, FL passed away Saturday, March 12, 2016.

Jean-Luc was the son of an Army aviator who served two tours in Vietnam and retired as a CWO-4. He was born in Nancy, France on December 30, 1951, and came to the United States when he was six. Upon graduation from high school he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1971. J-L graduated with a BS degree and a Ranger tab in June 1975.

After graduation he was off to Korea where he served in the 2nd Infantry Division. Seeking a more exciting path, J-L transitioned into Special Forces (SF) by way of the SF Qualification Course and Underwater Operations Course. His first SF assignment was a three year tour in Bad Tölz, Germany.

J-L returned to the States in 1981 and attended the Infantry Officers Advanced Course in Fort Benning, GA. There he met and married his beautiful bride, Michele in 1982. At the time, she was working as a Department of the Army (DA) civilian intern with the Infantry School. J-L then joined the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division on "Operation Just Cause" to the Island of Grenada. He remained with the 82nd for the next two years commanding an anti-armor company.

A few years later following several more training courses which included the military attaché course, J-L was posted as Defense Attaché to the American Embassy, Chad. Upon returning to the States, J-L retired from the Army. Then he went on to use his unique skills as an international security consultant for the State Department, UNICEF, ExxonMobil, World Bank, among others until retiring in 2012.

Most importantly J-L was a man of great faith, great compassion, a great companion, and a great friend. You will never meet anyone that was more willing to help others and lived by the adage that it is better to give than receive. His great devotion and love for his family and especially his wife Michele will always be present in our hearts. Affectionately he would sometimes tease the grandkids that instead of great grandpa he should be grandpa "the great"…how appropriate those words now seem to be. You will always be part of our hearts and forever missed, but we all know now we have a guardian angel looking out for us.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Gerald Nash and Andree Nash.

Survivors include his loving wife, A. "Michele" Nash of Cantonment, FL; sisters, Nicole Millam of Fairbanks, AK and Colleen Sheffield of Alexandria, AL; daughters, Michele Downey (Jeff) of Acworth, GA, Brigitte Cutshall (Carl) of Acworth, GA; son, John Anderson (Sharon) of Columbus, GA; grandchildren, Brent Trujillo, Eric Anderson, Hudson Cutshall, Ryan Anderson, Jacob Cutshall, Dylan Downey, and Alexis Downey; as well as two great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held 11:00am until the Funeral Mass to begin at 12:00noon Thursday, March 17, 2016 at the Naval Aviation Memorial Chapel, NAS Pensacola with Fr. Peter McLaughlin celebrant. Burial will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery at 1:15pm with Full Military Honors.

Active Pallbearers will be the Special Forces, Chapter 44.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, the American Heart Association or to the American Cancer Society.