Born 17 March, 1946 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, he was raised in Niles, MI and educated throughout the northern Midwest, graduating from Niles Senior High School June, 1964. He entered the Marine Corps via recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA.
PFC Zachary graduated from recruit training as the Honor Graduate in his platoon, October, 1964 and attended further training at 211d Infantry Training Regiment, Camp Pendleton, CA. Upon completion of Sea School, Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, CA, his first permanent assignment was to the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Topeka (CLG-8) and subsequently, to the staff of Commander Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla 3. He served as a fireteam leader and squad leader with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division until reassigned to Company G, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines as a platoon sergeant in the Republic of Vietnam, in January, 1968 where he participated in 12 combat operations including, Operation Hue City. Returning to the United States in February, 1969, Sergeant Zachary attended Drill Instructor School at MCRD, San Diego, where he served as a Drill Instructor and Platoon Commander with the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion and as a Drill Instructor with Motivation Platoon, Special Training Branch. This tour culminated in Staff Sergeant Zachary being reassigned as a platoon sergeant with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. In 1972, he was reassigned to the USS Constellation (CVA-64) as the detachment Gunnery Sergeant/Guard Chief. In 1974, He was assigned to Camp Pendleton and was subsequently reassigned to the S-3 instructor section at Infantry Training School for duty with the Recruit Entry Level Training Section where he served as an instructor, Chief Instructor and ultimately as the Officer-in Charge. GySgt Zachary returned to San Diego in 1977, to serve as a Series Gunnery Sergeant and Company Chief Drill Instructor with the First Recruit Training Battalion. In 1979, he was assigned to the MCRD Inspector's Office as the Drill Instructor Inspection Specialist and subsequently to Sea School as the school Gunnery Sergeant. Promoted to First Sergeant in 1981, he attended the First Sergeants’ School, Parris Island, S.C. Upon completion of this school, he served with the 2 Battalion, 12th Marines as the Headquarters and then Echo Battery First Sergeant. Returning to San Diego in 1982, he was assigned as the Headquarters Company First Sergeant, Headquarters and Service Battalion, MCRD, San Diego until 1983 when he was reassigned to 1 Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment as Delta Company’s First Sergeant until selection to his present rank. He served as the Sergeant Major of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines from 1985 until 1989 and then as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the “Fighting Fifth Marines”, until June 1990. He was posted as the Recruit Training Regiment Sergeant Major of MCRD, San Diego in July, 1990 and assumed his last duties as the Sergeant Major, Landing Force Training Command, Pacific, in July of 1992. He transferred to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve on 31 May, 1994 and then to the retired list on the next day, 1 June, 1994.
He was hired as the Marine Instructor of the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps at Snohomish High School, Snohomish, WA, March 1994, where he currently is employed.
His personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with combat “V”, the Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V” with a gold star in lieu of a second award, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.
He is married to Jeannette MacAllister and lives in Sultan, WA. He has two sons, Reid, a Border Patrol Agent in Temecula, CA, and Kip, a salesman at Nordstrom’s in Riverside, CA.