Blue Guidon Fall 2014

The Blue Guidon The Newsletter of Andover and the Military

180 Main Street Andover MA 01810-4161

Tell Us Your Story!

Fall 2014

“Valor on Saipan”

Andover’s Military History Project is an ongoing effort to document the long history of service to the country by Andover students, faculty, alumni, and the school itself. If you are an alumnus or alumna who would like to contribute to this project by researching and writing, please contact Jenny Savino at jsavino@andover. edu. We would love to hear your story!

Fred Stott ’36 earns the Navy Cross Frederic A. Stott ’36 (1917–2006) is a Phillips Academy legend. Born in Taylor Hall, he served heroically in World War II and later had a long, successful career in the Office of Alumni Affairs and as secretary of the Academy. After graduating from Amherst in 1940 and teaching for two years at Governor Dummer Academy, Fred enlisted in the Marines in 1942. He earned the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross for exceptional valor on Saipan and also fought on Roi-Namur, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. On Iwo Jima, as his company’s advance bogged down due to heavy enemy fire, he calmly stood up and led his men across a fire-swept field, getting them to their objective just as a mortar round exploded, breaking his leg. For this action, Fred “Fireball” Stott earned a Bronze Star and a second Purple Heart.

Inaugural Scholarship for Children of Service Members

Recent News Peter Quackenbush McKee (1923–2005) had a multifaceted 42-year career at Phillips Academy, which included teaching physics to this publication’s Editor. In WWII, Capt. McKee flew B-24 Liberators out of Italy with the 15th Air Force, completing 51 missions. In October 2014, our Editor had McKee’s name permanently placed on the fuselage of the last flying B-24 in the world.

Not only did this year mark the 72nd anniversary of Phillips Academy’s Summer Session, but it also marked a milestone for Andover and the Military. Caleb Dean, 16, from Memphis, Tenn., attended Summer Session 2014 as the first recipient of the LCDR Erik Kristensen Scholarship. The scholarship was created by the Alumni Council’s Andover and the Military Committee and is funded by the Maintaining the Military Legacy on Campus Endowment.* The scholarship was named in honor of Lt. Cmdr.

Erik S. Kristensen ’91, USN SEAL, who was killed in action in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wings while commanding a mission to rescue four fellow SEALs. Due to Caleb’s father’s service in the U.S. Coast Guard, Caleb was eligible to compete for this unique scholarship. “I am extremely honored Andover selected me as the inaugural recipient of the LCDR Erik Kristensen Scholarship for children of parents who served in the military,” Caleb remarked. “Before coming to Andover, my father stressed to me what an honor it was to receive the scholarship and that I should strive to embody the commitment, tenacity, and zeal of Erik Kristensen… It is my hope that I have served as a worthy recipient of this inaugural award…” Rest assured, Caleb, you certainly did. Congratulations.

—Charlie Dean, Editor

*Donations to the Maintaining the Military Legacy on Campus Endowment can be made to the Andover Fund, designated for Andover and the Military.

1st Lt. Hanson Causbie ’08 is currently forward deployed in Afghanistan as an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Hanson recently sent back this photo showing his Andover pride and spirit.

For 27 days in June and July of 1944, my father and his comrades in the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division fought their way from the south to the north of Saipan. A small, mountainous island in the Marianas chain, Saipan’s prize was its airfields.

Although the battle lasted a month, its turning point occurred early on, starting on the second day. At this point, the Americans had established a thin beachhead, taking significant losses.

Exhausted and weakened, they were vulnerable; the Japanese held the high ground. My father, then a first lieutenant, described his battalion’s situation: “…the physical condition of the men was poor. Despite shipboard exercise, the exertion, nervous tension, lack of sleep, food, and water, and the numerous casualties all combined to drain away strength. I do not believe that we sank lower at any time during the campaign…. We had been fighting uphill for more than 48 hours.”

A sort of battlefield stasis had developed, and, while “higher

command continually ordered attacks,” they lacked coordination and amounted to little. The officers of the 1st Battalion devised a plan that would concentrate available tanks in a mile-and-a-half advance with infantry following in close support. My father writes: “I climbed into Major Neiman’s tank to act as liaison between the armor and the foot troops, and we started forward in the early afternoon.” For the next 36 hours, my father “liaised” from various tanks, providing the missing coordination, and, in doing so, offering himself as a target.

His Navy Cross citation reads: “By his continued heroic efforts, his apparent disregard for his own safety, his intelligence, initiative and intrepidity, he was largely responsible for the organization and successful execution of two critical tank-infantry advances during the early stages of fighting for Saipan Island.

“On the third day of fighting, not only did Lt. Stott organize a coordinated tank, amphibian tank, and infantry attack by braving the

front line to personally contact each unit commander, but he maintained excellent coordination between the infantry and tanks by frequently talking with various infantry officers under fire, thereby allowing them to direct the tanks to specific targets and keep advancing at the proper speed and direction.

“On the following day, Lt. Stott helped coordinate a similar attack, this time riding in an amphibian tank. During the course of the attack the amphibian tank was hit and set afire by a large caliber shell. Though two men were killed and he himself consider ably shaken by a concussion, Lt. Stott climbed out of the burning tank and continued on foot to help coordinate the ultimately successful attack. This continued attention to duty with utter disregard for his own safety was in keeping with the highest tradition on the U.S. Naval Service.”

—Frederic “Sandy” Stott ’67 with his father’s own words.

Finding Purpose in Al Alam

History of Honor

More Honors for Tom Hudner ’43

Piers Platt ’98 recalls that his Andover education played a major role in his decision to join the U.S. Army. Serving in the military gave him a chance to keep his non sibi promise, while also making a down payment in gratitude for all he had gained on the Hill. In 2002, Piers graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and then headed to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to receive Armor Officer training. In joining the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany, little did Lt. Platt expect that he would soon serve another country.

More than six decades after earning the Medal of Honor for heroic actions while a Navy fighter pilot in the Korean War, Capt. Thomas Hudner Jr. ’43 continues to receive well-deserved honors. Most recently, the U.S. Postal Service invited Hudner to participate in the July 26, 2014, unveiling ceremony of the new Korean War Medal of Honor Forever stamp sheet at Arlington National Cemetery.

Meanwhile, Bath Iron Works in Maine is building three Arleigh Burke–class DDG-51 guided missile AEGIS destroyers, including the USS Thomas Hudner. The 2015 defense spending bill includes nearly $3.4 billion for these three ships, which will fund the continued construction of the USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) and the now 20 percent–complete USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), and commence the construction of the USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118).

ALUMNI CURRENTLY ON ACTIVE DUTY* Jake Bean ’08

Matt Riehl ’99

Hanson Causbie ’08

Samantha Samora ’99

Ben Kagan ’08

Grancis Santana ’99

Walker Washburn ’08

Ali Ghaffari ’98

Karl Novick ’07

Philipp Risseeuw ’98

Alex Ryan ’07

Luis Gonzalez ’97

Lauren Johnson ’07

Ian Stephenson ’96

Young Fei ’06

Kenny Weiner ’96

Connor Flynn ’06

Laurie Coffey ’95

Jenn Bales ’04

Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96

Livy Coe ’04

Robert Crevey ’95

Tom Barron ’04

James Mok ’94

Vol. 3, Number 1

Matt Fram ’04

Ryan Shann ’93

Published biannually by the Office of Academy Resources, Phillips Academy

Aaron Stroble ’04

Robert Bolton ’92

Nicholas Ksiazek ’03

Kenneth Jambor ’91

Catherine Reppert ’02

John Orsmond ’91

Marc Ward ’02

David King ’90

Corbin Butcher ’01

Robert Patrick ’88

Aaron deVos ’01

Julian Facer ’85

Gilman Barndollar ’00

Jonathan Leete ’85

Carl Dietz ’00

Graeme Henderson ’83

Jarreau Jones ’00

Alexander Cochran ’82

Matthew Sullivan ’00

James Donnelly ’82

Hunter Washburn ’00

Ruben Alvero ’76

In the history of military aviation, only 21 Medals of Honor have ever been awarded to aviators; three were awarded during the Korean War. —George S.K. Rider ’51

From the Editor Reunion Weekend Veterans Andover continues to have an amazing influence on each of us. Maybe it’s just my perspective, but it seems that its graduates, faculty, and staff who served in our military embody an especially strong and unique commitment to selfless service that continues well after their uniforms are packed away.

The stories submitted by our veterans are overwhelming.

We try to capture just a hint of these incredible experiences in The Blue Guidon, but so many more go unpublished.

In spring 2014, the Andover and the Military Committee created an Andover Veteran lapel pin that we now present most often during on-campus events. This past June, Alumni Council President Tom Beaton ’73 and I had the honor of recognizing Andover veterans who attended Reunion Weekend. As the post-parade alumni meeting in Cochran Chapel was wrapping up Saturday morning, veterans were asked to come forward. Tom and I worked our way to the stage, expecting to see just a couple of people, but an incredibly large group of men and women was standing there quietly, almost in an ad hoc formation from days gone by. As Tom and I pinned each veteran, they briefly told us when, where, and how they had served.

When all was said and done, we had pinned close to 75 proud Andover veterans. I gave three pins to one graduate, who told me, “I was a Marine, my Andover son was a Marine, and my Andover dad was a Marine in World War II.” Non Sibi.

Charlie Dean ’79 Editor

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THE BLUE GUIDON The Newsletter of Andover and the Military

EDITOR Charlie Dean ’79 ASSOCIATE EDITOR George S.K. Rider ’51 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Seth Moulton ’97, chair Christine Balling ’86 Tom Barron ’04 Tom Beaton ’73 Charlie Dean ’79 Harrison Flynn ’75 Johnson Lightfoote ’69 Karl Andrew Novick ’07 Robert Patrick ’88 George Rider ’51 Dana Seero ’71 Don Way ’63

*We recognize this list may be incomplete; it is based on data we have received from alumni updates.

If you or someone you know is not on this list, please e-mail Jenny Savino at jsavino@andover.edu.

Piers’s armored scout platoon spent its first few months in Iraq securing U.S. bases and supply routes and conducting occasional raids to capture insurgents. Not given the chance to train Iraqi Security Forces as expected, Piers and his unit began to get frustrated. As the months passed, civil war loomed more likely and anti-American resentment was growing.

In all of this, Piers sought solid justification for the sacrifices his men were making. One bright morning in January 2005, he unexpectedly found those reasons in the small village of Al Alam. This was Election Day, the first free vote in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

“It was our mission to provide security at the polling station in Al Alam,” Piers recalls. As the platoon rolled toward town, he was impatient to see what the voter turnout would be. “This was supposed to be an Iraqi-led operation,” said Piers, “so I waited until just before voting was scheduled to begin. We walked into chaos in the polling site; most of the town seemed to be there, and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic.” The trained Iraqi election officials had also waited, arriving after the Americans. In the absence of officials, the eager townspeople had been scrambling to organize themselves. The arrival of the officials soon straightened out the wild situation, and the people lined up by the hundreds.

One by one they headed for the cardboard booths to vote, emerging to get their fingers inked before

stuffing their ballots into the sealed containers. “The mood was festive…people were genuinely excited. For the first time during my tour, I saw adults waving and smiling at us.” Burned in Piers’s memory from that amazing day is the image of “an ancient Iraqi woman who emerged from the southern polling site, a triumphant, toothless grin on her weathered face, her ink-stained finger held high.”

Piers had gone to Iraq to serve his men and country, and here they were, excitedly serving hopeful Iraqi citizens, too. “For at least a time,” he said, “we helped them understand what it meant to live in a free and democratic society.”

After sundown, Piers’s platoon gathered the sealed ballot boxes for safe transport to Tikrit for counting.

“I shook the police chief’s hand and he gripped mine firmly in return, touching his left hand to his heart in the traditional gesture of appreciation and respect,” said Piers, who, along with his men, had found a sense of purpose.

—C. Dean

Andover Naval Flight Officer Earns His Eagles In a Pentagon ceremony on September 4, 2014, Robert Patrick ’88 was promoted to captain in the U.S. Navy by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who was assisted by Rob’s wife, Jen, and their children Maggie, Trey, and Makayla. Other members of the Andover family in attendance included Rob’s brother Matt Patrick ’89, Marshall Cloyd ’58, Christine Balling ’86, Matt Lavin ’88, and Adm. (Ret.) Edward and Suzanne Kristensen, parents of LCDR Erik Kristensen ’91. Rob is completing his current assignment as deputy executive assistant to the CNO and will soon return to naval aviation when he takes command of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft Wing (P-3 Orions and P-8 Poseidons).

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