Upon graduation Packard enlisted in the United States Army, graduated from Officer Candidate School and served with the Ranger Training Command before going to Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader. In Southeast Asia he served with the First Infantry Division where he received two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for heroism in combat.
After active duty he studied at Virginia Theological Seminary and upon graduation in 1974, returned to the Army as a chaplain in the Army Reserves. In his civilian life Packard continued to serve churches in Virginia and New York.
In 1989, Packard held the prestigious position of Canon to the Ordinary, or chief of staff, for the Diocese of New York. The job as Canon ended in 1991 when he was assigned to the Pentagon during the Gulf War. There, he wrote the comprehensive support plan for casualties in that conflict.
In 1999 he was selected as Bishop for all Chaplaincies in the Episcopal Church to include the military, healthcare, prisons, and emergency responders. 1,200 clergy throughout the globe know him as their bishop. His duties also embrace the geographical jurisdiction of Micronesia. Bishop Packard has become especially known for his provision for recovery at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disaster sites after 9/11 and for extensive international trips in support of deployed troops, most recently during the wars in the Balkans and in Iraq.
He has written extensively on the subjects of just war, an integrated healthcare system and restorative justice as a model to redeem our criminal justice system.
Packard resides in Rye, N.Y., with his wife Brook Hedick and their daughter Clara. He is the parent, with his former wife Helen Beasley '66, of Helen '93 and Cleary.
Contribution: Bishop for all Chaplaincies in the Episcopal Church including the military, healthcare, prisons and emergency responders
Hometown: Wantagh, N.Y.
College Activities: Druid Society, Chimera, Orange Key, Board of Control, Lacrosse, Canterbury Club, St. John's Guild, President of Sophomore and Junior Classes
Major: American History
Other Education: Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia, (M.Div., 1974, D.D. (honorary), 2000)