The Aquilian November 2014 Volume 77, Number 2
Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821
19 Eye St, NW Washington, DC 20001
Dominik Pettey ‘15, Our Brother, 8/5/97-11/1/14 For Dom. Dominik Pettey. Dom. Domo. Dinger. Dom went by many names, but I knew him by Pettey. I remember the first time I met Pettey. Freshmen year, 6th lunch had a tradition. During long 6th all the freshmen would go to the football field and play handball. But this wasn’t any ordinary handball game. This was no-holdsbarred-warfare-handball. We played for about two weeks and then the real all-stars at this sport started to appear. Two names come to mind when you think of the best freshmen year handball players: Meloni and Pettey. I knew Meloni already, but everybody kept talking about this Pettey kid. I thought, who the hell is this Pettey kid? One cold day in December, we were playing handball and I noticed a
normal-sized kid run through at least three boys and break another two tackles then spin and throw the ball right pass the goalie. I thought “Who is that? I want him on my team.” I asked the nearest person I could find who that was, and they replied back “That’s Pettey dude. Everybody knows that.” “Pettey...” I thought. After that I went up to Pettey, praised him on his goal and he shot back the greatest smile I’d ever seen. I can still picture his smile shining across his face now. That when I first knew of Dominik Pettey. I had no idea he would impact my life so much. Ever since that day, Pettey would say hi to me in the hallways and show that brilliant smile of his anytime I saw him. He
was an immediate friend, a rare find. Sophomore year, I had the privilege to share one of my favorite classes ever with Pettey: Mr. Lipari’s third period European History. This is when I truly began to bond with Dom. We both loved Mr. Lipari’s conservative views and his classic sayings like “Am I blowing stuff into the wind? Or is it just mist? 31 or 34?” Dom loved the way Mr. Lipari praised Teddy and complimented McQuillen on his constantly changing college sweatshirts and his red g-shock. I loved that class. And Dom made it that much better. We started watching Band of Brothers in that class and that’s when Dom shared that he was considering the military and I got so excited
because I was considering it too. So as we watched Band of Brothers we shared our military ambitions and how our favorite movies were Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan. I told him I loved the Batman movies, and he would constantly tease me and tell me how bad they were. On the premiere night of Dark Night Rises, Dom texted me “New Batman is terrible dude, don’t see it .“ Made me laugh so hard because I was already in line to watch it. I loved Dom. I wish Dom could have served next to me. It would have been an honor and privilege to be by Dom’s side. We both honored and respected the idea of dying for your brothers. We both believed that laying down your life for your brothers is the ultimate sacrifice but also
the ultimate honor. And Dom did it. Dominik Pettey laid down his life for his brothers. Never forget that. I keep hearing news stories about Dom, and they keep saying “a seventeen year boy killed” or a “a high school teenager died”. No. That is Dom Pettey. Remember his name. Dom gave of himself for his brothers each day, and to repay him, we must honor his sacrifice. He brought smiles to countless faces and lifted uncountable lives. In his name, do the same. Dominik Pettey. Remember his name. He personified the spirit of Gonzaga. He was my brother. He was our brother. He was an Eagle. And he was a Man for Others. I love you Dom. - #11 for life, Rives