9/11 is a tragedy. Many have served and responded in diverse ways since the unspeakable event on 9/11/01. There have been many lives lost on Ground Zero and other places around the world as a result of 9/11.
I served the tragedy by leaving the monastery as a Dominican Friar Monk and returned to the military as a combat troop in Iraq. Besides carrying my rifle in the Badlands: Back home, I treated the first waves of troops returning from the Global War on Terror as a psychoanalyst/readjustment counseling therapist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before I responded to 9/11, I contemplated my decision to serve with great passion and action. I and others have followed the path of service. Being a military cadet back in the the 1980s helped me discern my path to serve again after 9/11.
My path to serve again after 9/11 was deeply inspired by the stories of several fellow cadets of Norwich University — The Military College of Vermont. I reflected on Norwich Cadets who left the Corps of Cadets and served in the Persian Gulf War: Bobby Oles, Robert Blish, Buddy Hackett, Vinny Luciano, Mike Giglio, Matt Hamel, Bob Govoni, and many others. When these men returned from their duty, the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Alfred M. Gray publicly honored these cadets for their sacrifice. These men left their crisp cadet gray uniforms to wear grubby combat fatigues. These cadets delayed officer commissions, or abruptly ceased their studies, or gave up job offers to serve their country.
Years later while in monastic life, 9/11 and the recruitment shortage during the Iraq Surge pushed me to contemplate like my fellow Norwich Cadets. While I chose to serve again because my civic obligation was to prevent another troop from deploying again, my choice was solidified by the experiences of my fellow cadets! I returned to my third military oath of service as a tired 40 year old man and deployed to Iraq without rank or title.
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Often, cadets are overlooked in our society. Do elementary school students know about the historic military and maritime cadet units of America? Ironically, these were one of the first democratic groups in America to produce innovative leaders in industry, transportation, agriculture, commerce, engineering, public service, and military service.
I was a cadet at Norwich University — The Military College of Vermont (NU MCV 1990), America’s first private military college and the birthplace of ROTC. ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) is the largest military officer commissioning source in America. I received an involved military education that embodied a unique “alchimie martiaux.” Norwich cadet life inspired a unique “martial alchemy” that brought out in me the inner warrior beyond cadet gray. I was encouraged by cadet life at Norwich to rely on my strengths: I was a studious spiritual warrior with Korean Latino Dominican roots. My cadet life experience had the the poetics of Shakespeare, the citizen-soldier philosophy of Captain Alden Partridge, and the daily actualizing virtues of Aristotle.
Unlike European military cadets, American military cadets embody the spirit of the citizen-soldier. Unlike the European cadet at Sandhurst or Ecole Militaire, the American military college cadet is a product of democracy and not strictly bound to the the martial way, the way of war. After 9/11, I had many intimate discussions about war with former cadet friends. These conversations were not oriented on pursuing war to pursue a professional soldier’s career for mere endgame glory. I will always remain a citizen-soldier.
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These days, I am reminded of my cadet existence in society in ironic ways. At Manhattan cocktail parties, I am compelled to remind the flappers that I was a cadet at a small military college called Norwich. And, indeed, I studied at Yale, Columbia, and at Harvard’s Program of Refugee Trauma. I do not surrender ground in these discussions over Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne. Periodically, I run into Yale secret society members and they oddly have asked about Norwich cadet life? A former Norwich Cadet started Yale’s “Skull and Bones.” Hint: Not me, but William Huntington Russell.
There is the end of Autumn barrage of The Army-Navy Football Game television commercials. Here, mass media shows many faces of cadets on a major tv network to sell the game to Americans caught up with West Point and Annapolis. Great schools. But, when people limit military education to service academies, I start using Jedi Mind Tricks as THAT KA-BAR CARRYING ex-friar. No, I just direct them to “THAT Other Game – Norwich-Coast Guard.” Also, I inform people that the service academies are joined by other military/maritime schools: the historic military and maritime colleges of America (such as Norwich, VMI, The Citadel, SUNY Maritime, Mass Maritime, and others). There are more cadets at these historic colleges (combined) than at all of the service academies.
Let me introduce you to the future! Recently, I met two men of high character who were deeply moved by 9/11. Two young cadets at SUNY Maritime College were introduced to me by the legendary U.S. Marine Reconnaissance Man 0321 and Sniper, Rudy Reyes.
Here are the inspiring cadet stories Henry Rollins would appreciate! Henry Rollins has some captivating insights about war and the military.
Warning: There is no Nicki Minaj or Tekashi69 fabricated mass culture talk.
Cadet Alexander Cappellino: Inspired to Serve Because They Served!
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September 11th 2001 began for many as a unassuming typical normal commute to work; yet, the morning of 9/11 spiraled into tragic chaos. The events of that day: the collapse of the twin towers, the attack on the pentagon, and the death of the heroes who stopped flight 93, devastated thousands of New Yorkers and Americans.
Al-Qaeda ignited an unprecedented fear in Americans; this was the first successful attack an American soil ever in 225 years. I was only a child, back then; but, the paralyzing fear my mother expressed to me after the news reports were daunting. An emergency shutdown ended the school day early for I and my other classmates. I couldn’t comprehend the pictures of the firefighters and policemen on the news, but everyone around me looked helpless. In a sense, evil had won the day. A small minority of men had struck terror in the hearts of Americans, changing the status quo of American life forever. And, the story of 9/11 did not end in the attack.
Fortunately, men like Pat Tillman, Michael Murphy, and so many others rose from the rubble, looking to combat the chaos in the wake of that morning seventeen years ago. I admire these heros and others whom responded towards the tragedy of 9/11. I too, desire to serve!
As a cadet at the SUNY Maritime College, I am surrounded daily by people who have that similar mentality of service. The warrior ethos drives me to go and join the ranks of the men and women who sacrifice themselves to a greater calling. The people who commission into the military here, whether as Marine officers, Navy officers (active and reserve), or even enlist, forego salaries of up to $200,000 for 8 months of work in a year. They step above, as 1% of the population, the one percent of the “Herd.” They are the sheepdogs, the protectors of the innocent, and the combat to the “wolves” who seek to attack the innocent.
When evil knocks on the door, or kicks it in, the sheepdogs step in to extinguish the threat. They preserve the freedom and rights of their colleagues. This is why I seek to join the military; They are not conquerors, they seek to preserve the freedoms we love.
Alexander Cappellino is a cadet at SUNY Maritime College. He is Junior Class President of Student Government and he is Captain of the SUNY Maritime Rugby Football Club. He is A-Company Yeoman in the SUNY Maritime College Regiment of Cadets. Alexander is a graduate of Chaminade High School Mineola, NY; while there he was 2015 and 2016 football and wrestling Captain.
Cadet Braden Parent: Living an Ethos of Service
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On 9/11, I still remember sitting in the classroom as child. It was supposed to be just another normal day of Kindergarten. Even at the age of 5, I knew something was wrong when parents started to spontaneously picked up their kids from school. There were many faces with looks of horror and sadness. Once my dad retrieved me, he and I went home where we would both view the Towers collapse on TV.
After the tragedy, we learned that my dad’s friend played an integral role in attempting to take back United Flight 93 to prevent compounded security disaster. Though the loss of any life is the highest level of disaster. I could barely write at the time of 9/11, but the World Trade Center tragedy was my first exposure to an unexplainable evil, and this event would be burned into my mind forever. From that early experience, I knew I wanted to help people who couldn’t defend themselves. This inspired me to pursue a specific path: seek service in the U.S. military.
Fast forward 17 years and I am a year out from becoming a U.S. military officer. Presently, I am pursuing an officer’s commission with the US Navy. I moved to to New York City and joined the Regiment of Cadets at the historic State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College. This shift in my life’s journey, led me to my goal that goes back to childhood.
I understood the magnitude of events on that horrible day 9/11, but it was not until I moved up to NYC that I would understand just how personal it was for many others. Many other cadets in my regiment were also personally affected by 9/11. I know cadets with family members who passed away at Ground Zero or who would later pass away due to health issues stemming from the attack on 9/11. The tragedy is far-reaching and has shaped our culture into one that finally appreciates the heroism of service members and first responders.
You will not find a more like-minded and patriotic student body than what’s present within the Regiment of Cadets at SUNY Maritime College. A large portion of the student body aspires to serve their country, the United States of America, in one capacity or another. Whether it’s serving as an Active Duty Marine, a Naval Reservist, a firefighter or policeman, the sense of servitude is ever so present. The SUNY Maritime College Cadet Regiment deeply cherishes America and the core values it represents. In my view, this is something very rare to witness in today’s public university setting.
The beauty of SUNY Maritime College is its tradition of military service that is shared by a few other American military schools: Norwich University Military College of Vermont, Texas A & M’s Corps of Cadets, Virginia Military Institute, the U.S. service academies. I’ve met cadets and former cadets from these institutions and they all carry the same ethos as the one pursued at my school. Witnessing the honorable ethic of service in my fellow cadets at Maritime College has truly given me hope for our nation’s future. I have hope in these leaders who will someday make tough decisions while carrying out their responsibility of service.
Braden Parent grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and is inspired by his two little sisters. He is in the Regiment of Cadets at SUNY Maritime College. He will commission via the NYC NROTC Battalion in 2020 (Navy Option). Braden plays soccer and rugby for SUNY Maritime.
There are cadets from my school and other military/maritime schools with a driven passion to prudently serve and not to blindly create war. These cadets cherish a special education that is based on reason and virtue. When we reflect on 9/11, let us look at the cadets from past and future years! Many of them offer an examined way to pursue war. They pursue it as informed leader warriors and as citizens.
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Photo by Darian Garcia on Unsplash
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