Sixth-grade students JP Senneff ’28 and Drew Mills ’28 had an idea: what if they could invite MICDS alumni and military veterans to campus to address their Middle School peers in recognition of Veteran’s Day? They approached their class dean, Middle School History Teacher Mark Duvall, and lined out a plan to remember, honor, and thank the men and women who have served in our military. A few weeks later, three alumni visited their alma mater and spoke in Eliot Chapel.
Ryan Harbison ’03 was a Super Stallion helicopter pilot in the Marines and spent ten years on active duty. He was stationed at Miramar, in Afghanistan, in Okinawa, Japan, and in the Philipines, and was also a flight instructor. Ryan Maher ’04 also served in the Marines, as an infantry officer at Camp Lejune in North Carolina and in Afghanistan. Charles Mullenger ’06 matriculated to the United States Military Academy at West Point before being commissioned as a field artillery officer. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Collins in Colorado, and in Afghanistan, Chile, France, and South Korea. All three alumni vividly remember being at school on 9/11, becoming determined that day to serve their country.
Only half of the Middle School students can use Eliot Chapel at one time right now due to social distancing, so we captured the entire presentation on video to share with the other grades. Please enjoy this moving Veteran’s Day event (click here to see the accompanying slide deck):
Thank you, JP and Drew, for organizing this wonderful event for your Middle School friends, and thank you to all our veterans.