John Wirth serves as Vice President of Gold Star Peak, Inc., and helped co-found the organization in 2018 after their namesake mountain peak (Gold Star Peak) gained national notoriety. Since then, John has also served as the scholarship chair and has been the organization’s driving force behind the Remembrance Scholarship Fund.

John retired from the Army in Aug ‘22 after 21 years of service. He held numerous positions in the Infantry and Airborne communities across the globe, most notably as the Sergeant of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Having experienced the bond and unfortunate loss forged by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, John found solace in the mountains. An avid outdoorsman, John has often sought refuge in the great outdoors, where serenity and healing were just a few of the experiences Mother Nature provided. With this understanding, John truly began to appreciate the holistic benefits of our natural environment. Through his service in the Army, John met Kirk Alkire and bonded instantly through their experiences both in combat and in the mountains. This bond launched Kirk and John in the direction of serving Veterans, Survivors, and their Families by coming together in the great outdoors to share, heal, and grow.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from the University of Charleston and two undergraduate certificates from Western Kentucky University in Organizational Leadership and Interactive Training and Leadership.

John and his family currently reside in South Dakota, thoroughly enjoying all the Black Hills have to offer. In their downtime, they like to hike, camp, bike, kayak, and climb throughout the area.

Feel free to reach out to John with any questions.