Each of these portraits tells a unique story of military service. The HBS students featured represent a small portion of the many veterans who live and learn in our community. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, spouses and parents, each of whom served voluntarily in their nation’s armed forces. Many served in combat. They are proud to share this deeply personal aspect of their lives with you.
CAMERON R. ARMSTRONG / 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment / US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Woodstock, GA
REASON FOR SERVING:
I matriculated at the Virginia Military Institute with zero intention of commissioning. I just wanted to do something challenging and different from the normal path. After my first year, I realized that every single cadet I admired and respected at the school had intentions to serve. I took a hard look in the mirror and decided that to become the person I wanted to be I needed to serve a higher purpose than my own personal gain for a while. For me, that meant becoming an Infantry Officer.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
Some of the worst feelings and emotions I have ever felt have come from my military service. I have been hungry, exhausted, frustrated, soaked to the bone, miserably hot, terrified, freezing cold, furious, battered, blistered, and bruised at various stages of my career—often experiencing several of these at once. I have been hopelessly lost in both the woods and the desert, and perpetually overwhelmed by the mantle of responsibility as a leader. I still feel anxious remembering tense and chaotic moments from my deployment to Afghanistan. I lost count years ago of the number of times that I “quit my job” as an Officer in my head, but every single time (before I said it out loud) I took a second to collect myself, stood up, and got back to work on the mission at hand. It has not always been fun, and it’s never been easy, but it has honestly been worth every ounce of struggle. All this hardship has made me the person I am today. I gained perspective from all walks of life on multiple continents, had incredible opportunities for personal growth, received the privilege of leading some of the best people I could ever meet. I developed a deep appreciation for the power of the human spirit, and am certainly a better man for it. Here at HBS, I am happy that I am transitioning to my next chapter—but the lessons I have learned will stick with me for the rest of my life.
BAKER FLAGG /3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division / US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Frisco, TX
REASON FOR SERVING:
I joined the Army because I felt called to it. This calling came from the confluence of my love for military history and a family ethos of using God-given gifts and opportunities to serve others – to live what I had spent so much time only reading about.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
Why, then, did I leave the Army? I left for the same reason I joined—I felt called. The Army helped me understand that I become most passionate and engaged when I have the opportunity to lead and make decisions that have a profound impact on people and organizations. I also came to see that a myriad of opportunities for that exist outside of the military. The military does not have a monopoly on significance, impact, or service. These realizations constituted my second calling — to come to HBS in pursuit of the same opportunities for impact and service that had called me to the Army. I look back on my time in the Army with a feeling of deep thankfulness. That time developed me in ways that I never could have imagined and that I now cannot comprehend being without. Those years burst at the seams with experiences, lessons, and above all people I will never forget. I believe my time at HBS will be the same—and that excites me more than I can express.
CLAIRE OSTERMAN / 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, US Marine Corps
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Washington, D.C.
REASON FOR SERVING:
Joining the Marine Corps was putting my personal ethos into action. Like many, I had other options after graduating college which had shorter hours and better-looking paychecks. None of these options challenged my mind and body beyond its limits in the service of others. I sought one of the greatest honors I will ever experience: leading a platoon of Marines.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
My favorite memories happened during training events in the field with my Marines. We would be short on sleep, showers, and warm food, but they always found humor in the toughest of situations. There was not a single day of work where I wasn’t in awe of their accomplishments. We became a family forged through common ideals. When I reflect on my service, it was all about my family…my Marines.
JACK GANNON / USS Nebraska SSBN 739 / US Navy
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Dallas, TX
REASON FOR SERVING:
When I was a little kid, I loved the Museum of Science. I always spent hours searching for dinosaur bones in their sandbox, and I always went to the IMAX movies about jets and hurricanes. As a result, I really wanted to be a jet-pilot-storm-chaser-paleontologist, but that major wasn’t offered at most colleges. So, I settled and went to the Naval Academy to just fly jets. How I ended up underwater is a much longer story.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, a couple hundred men I helped train are operating the USS Nebraska, a ballistic nuclear missile submarine. Because they are out there, I feel safe. I wrote our war games, so I was forced to consider the possible results of the world’s worst prisoner’s dilemma—nuclear deterrence—way more often than I was comfortable with. Through this experience, I came to two conclusions. First, I want the world to get to a place where nuclear weapons are no longer needed. Second, deterrence has been critical to the peace between great powers since WWII, making the work the people on that submarine are doing every second of every day even more important. I am proud of what we accomplished on Nebraska and I’m looking forward to serving on another submarine after school.
LUCAS GEBHART / 101st Airborne Division, US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Laconia, NH
REASON FOR SERVING:
I joined the Army in October of 2001, immediately following, and largely as a result of, the attacks of 9/11. Indelibly burned into my mind is the image of President Bush addressing the rescue workers at Ground Zero, who noted that they could not hear what he was saying. His response was a rallying cry to my circle of friends:
“I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
I’m immensely proud of the time I’ve spent in uniform and the bonds I’ve made with fellow service members during four combat deployments (here’s to you, allies). I do not think that I will ever have an experience more rewarding than being a Commanding Officer in the fight for Mosul in 2016-2017. At the same time, there is a tremendous bill that is paid, not just in terms of life and health, but also in time that is spent away from family. Before HBS, I do not think that I have ever adequately reflected on the immense value of time. It is truly difficult to effectively allocate, and insufficient to do everything. If I am certain of anything, it is that my daughter does not agree with my allocation of this precious resource.
HBS is the first time in my adult life that I have been outside of a purely military environment. And I think that the main thing that I hope that our classmates gain from our interactions is that the military is made up of individuals. We do not all see the world in the same way, we do not share the same political ideology, and, most importantly, we serve as the executors of portions of our foreign policy, regardless of whether or not we agree.
Finally, I am humbled by the service of some of our classmates. Those among us that have seen a need or a shortcoming in our local community and stepped forward to fill that gap. There are disproportionate impacts in the lives of everyday people made at the city, county, and state levels. So, to those of you that serve your country, often in lieu of more monetarily lucrative endeavors, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you.
MIKE GLYNN / Patrol Squadron (VP) SIXTEEN “War Eagles”, US Navy
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Philadelphia, PA
REASON FOR SERVING:
When I was seven years old, my family took me to an airshow where I saw the Navy’s flight demonstration aerobatic team, the “Blue Angels,” fly. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a military pilot.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
The world spun below me as my student rolled in towards the bombing target. Nose down, speed building, we raced towards the desert floor.
“Sight picture, how do you feel?” I asked.
“I’m steep, sir,” the student replied, as she tilted the nose down to make the correction.
Tiny corrections now: a little left, a slight bunt of the nose. We raced downhill, the engine howling and airframe vibrating as the airflow built faster and faster.
Teaching students to drop bombs was like throwing darts, more finesse than brute force.
“There’s your checkpoint, Drake. Set a three degree sight picture and release on altitude.”
The desert floor raced up at us. The tan wasteland filled the entire canopy as the final seconds counted down. Three, two, one…
The practice bomb detached and fell away. My student snatched the stick into her lap and wrenched the nose of the plane away from the ground. We arced upwards towards the cloudless, blue California sky.
“Canyon 42, off, safe,” my student called to our teammates. Flying isn’t about airplanes. It’s about people working together to make a mission happen. My fellow aviators came from every state, every type of background, and every walk of life. It was the trust and camaraderie we built together that I remember best from my time in the military. It’s that memory that I carry forward with me.
BRAD KELLY / 1st Ranger Battalion, US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Exeter, NH
REASON FOR SERVING:
I felt called to serve because of my love of this country and the opportunity to make a tremendous difference in the world.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
I could not be more grateful for my experiences as an Infantry officer in the Army. I was afforded the opportunity to lead, train, and mentor incredible people who are the tip of the spear for American foreign policy and the spreading of American ideals to the most dangerous, impoverished, and suffering places in the world. During my time in the infantry, I was able to see the most generous and selfless aspects of human kind while also experiencing the stark reality of pure hatred and evil in the world. Overall it was, and will always be, one of the seminal experiences of my life. I wouldn’t change it for anything.
ERIN SHUBA / USS Gerald R. Ford, US Navy
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Blacksburg, VA
REASON FOR SERVING:
I always felt a strong desire to serve, but was always a little nervous about the idea. Cheesy as it sounds, I love this country and am passionate about what it stands for. Two months into my summer internship, I met someone who would change my life. Randomly paired up for lunch mentorship, he told me his story of graduating college, feeling lost with a desire for something more, and his ultimate decision to join the service. It felt as if I was listening to someone tell my own story. In just one conversation I knew I needed to overcome my self-doubt and follow my passion. One month later, I submitted my application to the United States Navy.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
I have been challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally beyond levels I could have imagined. I met and became friends with people of other places, cultures, beliefs, and value systems which taught me not only tolerance and respect, but also appreciation for what friendship and family really mean. Enduring sacrifice and long absences has taught me the costs and the value of true human freedom. The Navy took me, a sorority sister with mediocre confidence, and gave me self-reliance, instructed me on leadership and humility, and made me appreciate that there are bigger and more important things in life than self.
LUKE WHEELER / 42 Commando, Royal Marines, British Royal Marines Commandos
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Bristol, England
REASON FOR SERVING:
I got interested in joining the military for ideological reasons. As a teenager I watched the early Sierra Leone crisis unfold and was appalled at what humans could do to each other. I wanted to stop bad people from doing bad things. It was also Tony Blair’s era of successful humanitarian intervention (Balkans) and before 9/11, and British policy in Sierra Leone led to military operations that many agree helped prevent further Atrocities. The Royal Marines were involved, and that put me on the path to joining. When I joined at university, I also realized it was incredibly good fun: the friendships, the physicality, the sense of purpose – I had new reasons to join.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
I’ve been fortunate with what I was able to contribute to during my time in the military. Yet at the end of the day, as in nearly all walks of life, it is the people you meet who impact you the most. One such man had an incredible impact on me: Jawid. Jawid was the local Afghan National Army commander, who lived and operated from a small patrol base near us. He was a natural born fighter and commanded the respect of all those he met, but he was not intimidating. What I came to realize is that the reason he commanded respect was not his physical stature or combat experience, but his conviction and sense of purpose. It was clear that nothing would stop him when he set his mind to something. That was his real power. When you meet someone like this, it’s fascinating to get to know them and see what makes them tick. I’ve found there to be many valuable lessons to learn. It sounds corny, but I learned a great deal about purpose and life after spending seven months with Jawid and fighting alongside him. The military taught me a huge amount, and remains a huge part of what I am today, but it still holds true that many lessons in life come from those you meet.
MARK LEAHEY / US Coast Guard Pacific Area, US Coast Guard
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Morris Plains, NJ
REASON FOR SERVING:
On September 11th, 2001, the United States Coast Guard conducted the largest maritime evacuation in the history of the world when it led 500,000 people off Manhattan Island, eclipsing the mark set in Dunkirk during World War II. Two years later, in 2003, the Coast Guard saved 34,000 lives during Hurricane Katrina. These two events inspired me to join the Coast Guard – America’s smallest military branch and world’s most elite life-saving service – for the opportunity to make a difference and give back to my community and country.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
In 2011, I spent Thanksgiving at sea and, for the first time, missed the holiday with my family. In the grand scheme of life, it was a small sacrifice to make. Just a few weeks later, in the same body of water that I had been operating in, a shipmate and fellow guardian – Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne – was killed by narco-terrorists during an armed intervention. He made the ultimate sacrifice and as a result will never have a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving, or any holiday, with his wife and children ever again.
When I finished my previous tour of duty and contemplated my future, the choice was clear. I elected to remain in the Coast Guard and will continue to serve for as long as possible. I am beyond proud to be part of an organization with humanitarianism at its core and to be surrounded by selfless people who are willing to risk their lives so that others may live. Semper Paratus!
TROY PETERSON / US Army Special Operations Command (Airborne), US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Seattle, WA
REASON FOR SERVING:
I was a new sophomore in high school on September 11th, 2001. The attacks turned my interest in the military into a determination to serve our country and do my part to defend it. I wanted to do the difficult and dangerous work necessary to protect our country, our values, and our way of life.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
Serving in combat showed me the extremes of the human experience; life and death in constant flux; tragedy and triumph; overwhelming love and all-consuming rage; the exhilaration of being shot at and missed; the despair of losing close friends and wondering if it was worth it. These experiences reinforced to me that in life, there’s usually no easy “right answer,” but to lead, you must do your best – make decisions, keep learning, and keep moving. Despite the challenges, I felt honored to be a part of our efforts to fight groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. I loved being part of an organization where people volunteered to do dangerous missions for our country, together.
The Army gave me opportunities to work overseas in Europe and the Middle East alongside allies from different countries, learn about other regions and cultures, and do challenging work which I believe made a positive difference in the world. My beliefs have been challenged and changed while serving – I know many people feel that American influence in the world is detrimental to other countries and peoples, or even to humanity. I believe that while our efforts are imperfect or sometimes misguided, America has been and remains an important force for good in the world as humanity strives to improve into the future.
My time serving reinforced my conviction that people should find meaning serving a cause beyond themselves. I’m proud that I was able to contribute in some small way to improving the lives of others. I will continue that effort in my career after the military.
MYKOLA PETRENKO / 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Fayetteville, NC
REASON FOR SERVING:
My family has a long history of military service - my dad was a career Army officer, and all of my grandfathers and uncles also served in the military for at least a period. So from a young age, I knew that I wanted to keep the tradition alive and serve the country.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
“You went to Princeton and then joined the Army? I wouldn’t have.” From my first day in the Army, this was the most common response I received when people found out about my background. There often seems to be an unspoken perception that people only join the military because they are extremely patriotic or don’t have a better option. To me, it’s not that simple – I think it is important for well-educated, successful people to work in the public sector. Especially when it comes to the military, the alternative is a risk of increased insularity and a schism between those who serve and those who don’t. Personally, I wouldn’t trade my time in the Army for anything. While there were many days when I was less than happy, working with soldiers – some of the sharpest, most selfless people I have ever met – was more than a reward in and of itself.
VAI SCHIERHOLTZ / 49th Maintenance Group, US Air Force
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Danville, CA
REASON FOR SERVING:
As a child, I had always been attracted to the military and what it represents – discipline, camaraderie, and service over self. The tragedy of September 11, 2001 also motivated me to join the military. My interest in aviation led me to the U.S. Air Force, where I had the opportunity to launch satellites and direct fighter jet and drone operations.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
The military is full of ambitious, generous, and dependable people. Many of my troops (and many of our classmates here at HBS) spent months, if not years, away from their families in remote, dangerous places around the globe. I will always be thankful to the men and women in uniform because they sacrifice their time, relationships, and sometimes their own lives in the service of their country.
KEVIN WERNER / 2-12 Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, US Army
ENTERED SERVICE FROM:
Fayetteville, NC
REASON FOR SERVING:
The thought to serve didn’t enter my mind until late in high school. My father served a career in Army Special Operations, but I did not fully appreciate that until I left home. I think my 18-year-old mind figured this was a good idea, and the deeper feelings of service and connection emerged as I built experiences in the Army.
REFLECTION ON SERVICE:
I am incredibly honored and blessed to have been a part of the Army profession. Serving alongside some of the most selfless, capable, and humble professionals will stay with me for a lifetime. Our Soldiers come from all over the world and all walks of life. For some, the military was the best and only option. Many others forgo better pay and more comfortable lifestyles to serve. Military families are often overlooked as they sacrifice alongside their service members through uncertainty, continuous moves, deployments, and field training that add up to years of missed family time over a career. The Soldier and his or her family are not a mystery that cannot be related to, nor should their work be treated as a silent transaction between them and the taxpaying citizens of their country. In the end, what motivates Soldiers and their families is not necessarily a deep moral or political belief on the day’s conflict. It’s a recognition of a job that has to get done. More importantly, it is reliance on teammates and deep love for brothers and sisters forged through shared successes and hardships that keeps our military strong.