Aug 18, 2003 By Angie Santello 7 min read

Uniontown native and Laurel Highlands graduate Mark T. Esper has not forgotten his roots, even though he gained a new position working with international foreign leaders to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. “My interest in the military and military experiences pushed me into the progressive careers, although it is the early experiences that shaped my career and my life,” said Esper.

An assortment of these early experiences happened in South Union Township, where Esper enjoyed a peaceful neighborhood with family and friends.

“I grew up in a good community with good friends and good parents,” said Esper. “We had a good school system that prepared us for the future. Uniontown provides a strong background and a community that builds strong character.”

Esper, 39, was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations policy for the U.S. Department of Defense last November, a position he said can be summed up in three categories: nonproliferation, or curbing, the spread and exchange of nuclear weapons; arms control; and international negotiations.

“I’m the guy responsible for stopping the bad guys from shipping components of nuclear weapons,” said Esper. “It is really an important position. I am pretty pleased.”

Returning to the area for a family gathering at Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver Township, Esper related his feelings on relevant issues affecting the American people, such as the rebuilding effort in Iraq, the ousting of Saddam Hussein and the escalating problem with North Korea’s nuclear arms policy.

Although Esper admits most of the information he deals with is classified, he said the United States has proof that other countries have acquired weapons of mass destruction.

“We found some things, but only time will tell,” said Esper. “There are no doubts that Saddam had the programs to create weapons of mass destruction. He’s had a lot of time to hide the stuff since the first Gulf War.”

Esper said Hussein knew U.S. officials were suspicious and in search of evidence of nuclear weapons at the start of the Gulf War.

“The international inspectors were kicked out in 1998,” said Esper. “There was a four-year period where the country was vacant. That gave Saddam more time to develop and move.”

Esper said the U.S. government has talked to scientists allegedly working for Hussein. While he believes it is important to find the former Iraqi dictator, he sees the value in the death of Hussein’s sons. In the meantime, he said, U.S. forces remain in Iraq for rebuilding.

“Why we remain in Iraq now is to provide the framework for the country and its citizens to grow into a stable democracy,” said Esper. “After decades under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, it will take a lot of commitment and money from the U.S. and the international community to restore the country.

“I believe there is a better future ahead for the Iraqi people, although a fear exists amongst them that Saddam may someday regain power. For the people who suffered under his regime, it is a very powerful myth to dispel.”

Another problematic area that falls in the realm of Esper’s job duties is negotiations with North Korea. “North Korea is very complicated,” said Esper. “It is a Stalinistic regime which oppresses its people and is involved in illegal activities, from counterfeiting to drug smuggling.”

Esper said the leadership of North Korean President Kim Jong II is “almost a cult of one.”

“North Korea is fairly isolated,” Esper said. “We have seen that its dealings with other countries mainly revolve around arms dealings. Neighboring countries such as Japan, Russia, China and South Korea are concerned.

“South Korea has been a democracy for years and is becoming one of the most prosperous economies in the world,” said Esper. “But, what I’m really worried about is (the North’s) development of ballistic missiles. North Korea is a country led by a regime that has proven itself unpredictable and that possesses some of the most dangerous weaponry in the world. They are proliferators and are going to spread to other countries.”

Before he started working in his current position, Esper held government positions and served in the U.S. military.

He assumed the role of director of the House Armed Services Committee’s policy staff, on which he handled foreign and defense policy matters including arms control, cooperative threat reduction, intelligence matters and nonproliferation.

Esper also served as the staff director for the committee’s Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism.

“I worked a number of years on Capitol Hill,” said Esper. “There I received a good understanding and appreciation of the issues. I got to know how the government works while continuing to become immersed in the issues.”

In 1986, Esper graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.

He said the good thing about graduating from West Point was that he ended up with an engineering degree. For four years he attended the school, studying what he called “a very broad curriculum.”

After graduating, Esper spent 10 years in the U.S. Army. He is a veteran of the Gulf War, where he served with the 101st Airborne Division. His last active duty assignment was as a policy analyst and strategist on the Army staff, responsible for the Asia-Pacific theater. Esper continues to serve as a reserve officer in the Army National Guard.

Esper said that while his service in the military led to his career success, his strong academic background and a knowledge of the issues gained through traveling and past positions also acted as a supplement to the role he is now playing in U.S. government affairs.

He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and continues to work on a doctorate in public policy at George Washington University.

Despite his heavy workload and travels, Esper married and is fathering three children: Jack, 7, Kate, 4, and 11-year-old Luke. Esper, his wife, Leah, and their three children reside in Springfield, Va.

Esper considers his former junior high and high school teacher Julia Ciarrochi as a mentor and a close friend with whom he continues to communicate.

“She taught economics, but, more importantly, she taught me and others fortunate enough to have her about character and responsibility and about having goals and having integrity, character traits that are possibly more important than academics,” Esper said.

Relaxing at his family reunion, he said it is good to be home and in a “comfortably slower” atmosphere.

“Its always good to be here,” said Esper. “My home life was the core and the foundation of my life. The neighborhood I grew up in consisted of a good group of families, friends and parents who took care of one another in what are arguably called the most challenging years of our lives.”

At the reunion, Esper’s mother, Polly Reagan, managed to catch a break from family generation photographs, playing children, food and horseshoes to say that the family is proud of her son.

“I could see Mark going somewhere ever since he was little,” said Reagan. “Me and my husband were saying it is something that he’s gotten five promotions within seven years. But, what makes me really happy is that Mark didn’t forget where he came from. We are very proud of him, and that’s all I can say.”