Sali Gear ’79
Donnelly ’82 Named First AATM Vice Chair This past summer, the AATM Executive Committee took a major step forward when it accepted a proposal to create a new governance position of vice chair. Going forward, the role of the vice chair is to assist the chair in executing duties and, at the end of his/her tenure as the vice chair, to assume the chair’s position for an additional three years. Both the chair and the vice chair are members of Andover’s Alumni Council. Prior to this initiative, the chair’s position lacked definition as to how and when new chair are appointed. Following the creation of the vice chair’s position, the Executive Committee invited Jim Donnelly ’82, pictured at right, to serve as AATM’s first vice chair. A 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Jim is a recently retired U.S. Navy captain. A story in the spring 2015 Blue Guidon described his naval career. In that article, Jim remarked, “Andover provided me with the self-confidence to overcome many adverse conditions later in life and a liberal arts foundation that allowed me to think critically and solve problems.” We are incredibly excited that Jim agreed to assume his vice chair duties at September’s Alumni Council meeting. —Charlie Dean ’79, P’10, LTC USA—ret.
Andover Crew Remembers LCDR Erik Kristensen ’91 On the morning of Saturday, May 19, 2018, Phillips Academy rowers, their families, alumni, faculty, staff, and Andover veterans gathered at the William H. Brown Boathouse to remember LCDR Erik Kristensen ’91. Kristensen rowed at Andover as a postgraduate before beginning his career in the Navy at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he also rowed. Kristensen’s parents, Suzanne and retired RDML Edward K. Kristensen, USN, also present, were deeply moved by the continued on other side of flap
Girl Power Personified Just two days before Hurricane Maria was to hit the Virgin Islands, retired Navy pilot Sali Gear ’79—cofounder of Island Dog Rescue— had to figure out a way to rescue hundreds of pets displaced by Hurricane Irma weeks before. Gear and other donors pooled $112,000 to charter a 757. Weather be damned, Gear flew to St. Croix and St. Thomas, picked up more than 300 animals, and flew them back to Norfolk, VA. Then, working with a team of local volunteers, she transported the pets to the safety of her Virginia Beach farm, where she housed and cared for them while they awaited adoption. While Gear’s passion for caring for dogs and Above, Sali Gear ’79 relaxes with three training horses blossomed at an early age, her of her many canine friends in Virginia. desire to fly jets came later in life. Gear grew up in York, Maine, and in St. Croix. Her father, Below, Gear is pictured with one a Navy test pilot, died during a carrier landing of the A4s she flew at Naval Air when Gear was an infant. Gear’s mother raised Station Kingsville in Texas. six children on her own—three became Naval officers and the other three became doctors. After Phillips Academy, Gear attended the University of Florida, where she enrolled in the ROTC program and was given one of the six slots allotted for pilots. Asked why she decided to become a naval aviator, Gear recalls, “In a way, I was looking for my dad.” Gear graduated from flight school in Pensacola, FL, as a lieutenant junior grade and continued her training at Naval Air Station Kingsville in Texas, flying A4s and the Sabreliner. At the time, Gear was one of only six female Navy pilots who were training—each in a
different squadron. She went on to become an instructor pilot with tours at VT-23, VT-22, and VT-30. After two years in the fighter pilot pipeline, Gear had to make a difficult decision. She wanted to go on to fly combat missions but had recently become a single parent. Thus, her life changed course. Gear served as a strike plans officer for Atlantic Fleet Forces Command aboard the USS Mount Whitney and then served at Naval Special Warfare Command, managing the acquisitions of communications, night vision, and munitions for the SEAL community. She was also an aviation capabilities officer for SEAL missions. After 20 years of honorable service, Gear retired from the Navy as a commander. Gear and her husband, a retired SEAL, ran a defense contracting business that provided search and seizure/anti-pirate training. Their company trained some of the men who famously rescued Capt. Phillips and USS Maersk crew after Somali pirates seized the ship in 2009. Gear later served as military liaison for the city of Virginia Beach. In addition to hosting squadron returns, under Gear’s direction the office began the first program to recognize returning Naval Special Warfare warriors and the sacrifices made by their families. At 57, Gear now has a new career flying for United Airlines. “I like the idea of girls hearing [a female] voice on the cabin speakers. I’m all about girl power.” —Christine Balling ’86
Serving Those Who Serve On April 21, 2018, several members of the Southern California Andover community gathered for a Non Sibi project for Operation Gratitude, an organization that prepares care packages for U.S.
From left, Army veteran Robert Turfe and son Michael; Brandon Stroman ’97; Whitney Wilcox and her mom, Mara Raphael ’91; and Steve Matloff ’91 and daughter Isabelle
soldiers serving overseas as well as for veterans at home. With approximately 500 other volunteers from various alumni, faith, and corporate groups, we assembled boxes containing snacks, magazines, personal care products, and cards for loved ones. We also moved, stacked, and wrapped the boxes for shipping. Together, in just three hours, we prepared 9,300 packages! Because it was an Operation Gratitude Family Day, volunteers of all ages were welcome, and three middle school children joined our effort, making it a terrific family event. One highlight of the day was listening to an Andover-affiliated volunteer—a West Point graduate and Army veteran—share his insights on what it’s like to serve our country. He expressed how meaningful it had been for him to receive care packages like the ones we were preparing while he served overseas. This event was a tremendous demonstration of the non sibi spirit, allowing us to show our appreciation to those in uniform who put everything on the line to defend our freedom. Andover’s Southern California Regional Leadership Team looks forward to participating in future projects with Operation Gratitude. —Steve Matloff ’91 and Brandon Stroman ’97
The Blue Guidon The Newsletter of Andover and the Military
Fall 2018
Alexander S. Cochran III ’82
Continuing a Legacy of Service Three graduates of Phillips Academy’s Class of grab a “new” classic to read while deployed with his 1982 enrolled in service academies following military unit. Commencement, but other alumni from that Following Andover, Cochran chose to attend year joined the Armed Forces later and served the College of William and Mary and joined the admirably in uniform. One of those graduates international studies track. He points to a chance was Alex Cochran, a postgraduate student from meeting with an Army officer from the college ROTC Kansas City, MO. unit and an offer to attend an It’s interesting how service upcoming summer training comes so naturally for some, program as the beginning of especially when that service is his long career in the military. modeled so well by the previous Although his father had served, generation. Throughout his including three tours in Vietnam, academic and military careers, he did not push Alex to the Cochran was blessed with military, but he always had an mentorship from those who old colleague whom his son had gone before him—in the could call when he was up for classroom, in the dormitory, on his next duty assignment and the ball field, and in the Army. He had questions about where best learned of PA through a strong to continue serving. relationship between his father, Upon graduation from Sandy, and Ted Sizer, both of the College of William and whom had graduated from Yale Mary in 1986, Cochran was and served as Army officers. commissioned as a second Sizer, of course, became a lieutenant in U.S. Army and, renowned educator and beloved like his father, chose the Alexander S. Cochran III ’82 headmaster at Andover; Sandy Infantry. Following Infantry Cochran retired as a lieutenant training at Fort Benning, GA, colonel in the Army and became a nationally known Cochran arrived at his first assignment in the 1st military historian. Each saw the potential in Alex and Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment in the 1st Armored gently nudged him to attend Andover as a PG. Division’s 3rd Brigade in Bamberg, Germany, in the Upon his arrival at Andover, Alex Cochran waning days of the Cold War. There, he served as immersed himself in all aspects of PA life. He an infantry platoon leader and company executive lived in Stowe House with the legendary Jack and officer. Little did he know this would be the first of Wendy Richards, excelled in the classroom, played four Army assignments in Germany. football and lacrosse, and made many close friends. Cochran completed his initial tour in Germany Cochran shares that his most powerful memory conducting border patrols along the former East from Phillips Academy were his three consecutive German, Czechoslovakian, and West German terms in K. Kelly Wise’s infamous Novel and Drama border in the months following the fall of the Berlin class—better known to the students as “Grovel and Wall—literally watching the dismantlement of the Trauma”—where each session began with East German border fences in January 1990. Six Mr. Wise challenging the students to dig deep years later, as a company commander with NATO’s into the texts. During his later years in the military, initial Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosniaespecially during each new deployment, Cochran Hercegovina, Cochran would watch the same would reach into a well-worn moving box of old vehicles he learned to identify as the “foe” drive paperbacks that he’d kept from Mr. Wise’s class and through his base in the Zone of Separation as the
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Continuing a Legacy of Service
William Fiske: A Forgotten Civil War Hero
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Among Andover alumni who became citizen soldiers during the Civil War, William Oscar Fiske, Class of 1854, stands out. A merchant before the war, he proved to be a natural-born officer. Raised in Lowell, Mass., Fiske came to Andover for but a year, then went into business. Three days after the surrender of Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861, he joined hundreds of other patriotic men organized into infantry units led by Lowell’s controversial Benjamin Butler—attorney, politician, and Massachusetts militia leader. General Butler appointed Fiske 1st lieutenant, and he served on Butler’s staff as aide-de-camp and courier. In the latter capacity Lieutenant Fiske gained national acclaim. Late in August, Butler’s forces were engaged in a combined Army-Navy campaign to take Confederate coastal fortifications in North Carolina. During the Battle of Fort Hatteras, Fiske swam ashore carrying orders from Butler to his field commander. Fiske delivered them, scooped up a trove of revealing Confederate
Russian Airborne Brigade deployed into Republica Srpska to fulfill their role for IFOR. Upon his promotion to captain, Cochran was transferred by the Army to the Military Intelligence Corps, where he would serve the rest of his 25-year Army career as an intelligence officer specializing in Signals Intelligence—continuously attempting to prove that Military Intelligence is, in fact, not an oxymoron! Asked about what Andover provided him over the course of his military career and life, Cochran notes that Andover’s motto, non sibi, always remained with him: “The military is, at its core, about selfless service—not for one’s self. I was stationed in Germany when 9/11 occurred—the outpouring of support from our host nation was humbling. We had German soldiers who guarded our Kasernen (military bases) and family housing areas while our soldiers prepared for and ultimately deployed into theater, leaving their families behind. Years later, I had the opportunity to serve beside those NATO soldiers— Germans, Poles, Italians, Dutch, and British—in Afghanistan as part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).” Never expecting to serve beyond his initial fouryear obligation to the Army, Cochran notes, “The Army kept sending me back to Germany,” where he would ultimately serve almost 13 years. In fact, two of his three children were born in that country. His oldest, Caroline, was born at the U.S. Military Hospital
in Heidelberg where he, as it would happen, was also born 33 years earlier. Caroline’s mother, Irene, often jokes that it was the same hospital bed. Cochran finished his career as the Army’s senior military liaison to the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, MD, retiring as a colonel in 2011. After a sixyear stint with a major defense contractor—a member of the infamous military-industrial complex—Cochran returned as a civilian to the U.S. Army as their senior cryptologic advisor. When asked why he left behind a significantly more lucrative career in the private sector, Cochran notes, “It’s really about the service, in this case service to our nation and our soldiers. It’s about making a difference. I remember when we moved back to the United States in 2006 after our last tour in Germany; I was surprised at the number of Americans who, when seeing me in uniform, would say ‘Thank you for your service.’ I would always remind them— we are all volunteers.” Alex Cochran continues to embody non sibi as a member of the Army’s Special Executive Service. He is currently assigned to the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Meade in Maryland and lives in nearby Mount Airy. —Jim Donnelly ’82, CAPT USN—ret.
THE BLUE GUIDON
The Newsletter of Andover and the Military Vol. 6, Number 2
From the Editor We all know what it means to “google” something. In Silicon Valley, a startup reaches its pinnacle of success when its name morphs into a verb. What would you say if I proposed a new verb? Suppose I say to you that I’m going to “non sibi” today. Granted, unless you already knew its meaning, you’d google it. Or if you’ve had any interaction with Phillips Academy (including with our cousin to the north), you know its meaning: not for self. In 1782 Paul Revere engraved this Latin phrase into our silver seal at the behest of Trustee John Lowell. But what does it mean to non sibi? It is a choice to participate. As humans, we are at our greatest when we choose to show up, to be a worker among workers, to enter into action, to answer the call, and to serve. When I non sibi, I am engaged and willing, parenting, coaching, husbanding, learning, listening, and loving. Here at The Blue Guidon and AATM we revel in this choice to participate and honor our peers who do. Please join me and non sibi today.
Published biannually by the Office of Academy Resources, Phillips Academy
EDITOR
Robert M. Tuller Jr. ’82, P’21
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
George S.K. Rider ’51, P’86
HISTORIAN
David Chase faculty emeritus
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Charlie Dean ’79, P’10, chair James Donnelly ’82, vice chair Christine Balling ’86 Tom Beaton ’73 Livy Coe ’04 Laurie Coffey ’95 Karl Novick ’07 Robert Patrick ’88 George Rider ’51, P’86 Robert Tuller ’82, P’21 Don Way ’63 Kenny Weiner ’96
ALUMNI CURRENTLY ON ACTIVE DUTY Annette Bell ’16
Justin Accomando ’99
Benjamin Bolduc ’16
Grancis Santana ’99
AnnaMaria Dear ’16
Ali Ghaffari ’98
Anirudh Murali ’16
Luis Gonzalez ’97
Alexandra Bell ’13
Michelle Kalas ’97
Taylor Perkins ’12
Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96
Christopher Kent ’11
Rush Taylor ’96
Adrian Lehnen ’10
Kenny Weiner ’96
Ansley White ’10
Randy Allen ’95
Jake Bean ’08
Laurie Coffey ’95
Hanson Causbie ’08
Rebecca Calder ‘94
Jess Choi ’08
Matthew Macarah ’93
Eamon Hegarty ’08
Ryan Shann ’93
Walker Washburn ’08
Craig Der Ananian ’91
Lauren Johnson ’07
Kenneth Jambor ’91
Helal Syed ’07
Eric Hawn ’89
Connor Flynn ’06
Rob Patrick ’88
Jenn Bales ’04
Graeme Henderson ’83, P’14
Tom Barron ’04 Livy Coe ’04 Steve Draheim ’04
military documents abandoned in the field, stuffed them into his rucksack, swam to a longboat, and reported back to Butler aboard ship. The taking of Fort Hatteras constituted an important early Union victory. Harper’s Weekly, the leading American periodical of the day, published an eye-witness account of the battle, hailing Fiske’s exploits. Promoted to captain January 1, 1862, Fiske led Company K, 31st Massachusetts Infantry. The following August he transferred to the 1st Louisiana Volunteer Infantry—a new unit organized by Butler, who then commanded the army of occupation at New Orleans. The 1st Louisiana comprised mostly foreign-born residents of New Orleans, men out of sympathy with the Confederate cause. Brave, resolute, and popular with junior officers and his troops, Fiske advanced from captain to major, from major to lieutenant colonel, and, in August 1863, to colonel. Wounded at the Battle of Irish Bend, Colonel Fiske insisted on returning to the fray to lead his
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men. During the Union Army’s Red River campaign, Fiske commanded the 2nd Brigade, 19th Army Corps. Late in the war, Fiske was cited for his “gallant and successful defense of the Union works at the junction of Bayou Lafourche and the Mississippi.” In recognition of his military leadership, Fiske was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general. Mustered out July 12, 1865, Fiske returned to Lowell and civilian life. He became partowner of a firm that sold paint and wallpaper. He joined veterans’ organizations, including the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), by far the largest in the nation. Fiske presided over Lowell’s GAR chapter, which was named for Major General Butler. William Oscar Fiske—one of at least 800 Phillips Academy alumni who fought in the Civil War. More than 100 died. We look forward to the day when their service and sacrifice will be honored on campus with an appropriate Civil War memorial.
installation of a bronze bust of their son, which was sculpted by artist Chas Fagan ’84. Fagan was inspired to create the sculpture after reading the novel Lone Survivor, an eyewitness account of Operation Red Wing in which Kristensen died. The bust is positioned in the central team room alongside a previously installed plaque that recounts Kristensen’s service as a Navy SEAL and his loss of life in an attempt to rescue fellow SEALS in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. Suzanne Kristensen shared wonderful comments and was pleased to learn that three children of U.S. military personnel would be attending Phillips Academy’s 2018 Summer Session, each fully funded as a LCDR Erik Kristensen Scholar. —Charlie Dean ’79, P’10, LTC USA—ret.
Summer Session 2018’s Kristensen Scholars
—David Chase
Kazimierz Kotlow ’83 Douglas Creedon ’79
Matt Fram ’04 Aaron Stroble ’04 Nick Ksiazek ’03 Cat Reppert ’02 Eric Chase ’01 Gil Barndollar ’00 Jarreau Jones ’00 Matthew Sullivan ’00 Hunter Washburn ’00
This list, based on data we receive from alumni, may be incomplete. If you know of someone who should be added, please email Jenny Savino at jsavino@andover.edu.
Robert M. Tuller Jr. ’82, P’21 “Gallant Exploit of aide-de-camp Fiske at the Bombardment of Fort Hatteras.” Source: Harper’s Weekly, 21 September 1861 2
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Three students who have or had a parent serving in the military attended Andover’s popular five-week Summer Session program thanks to the LCDR Erik Kristensen Scholarship Fund. Created by Andover and the Military, the fund is supported by AATM members, the Hewett Family Fund, and many others in the Andover community. Liam and his family have moved often, living in places such as Japan and Hawaii. His father began 20 years of service as a submarine officer in 1996 following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. Liam’s Summer Session courses included Advanced Topics in Algebra and Precalculus. “It was exciting,” he says, “to engage in discussions and participate in classes with other teenagers from around the world. My physics class alone had students from seven countries.” Liam enjoyed a student tour of West Point in October. Sarah is the first generation in her family to attend high school and college in the United States. “My dad joined the U.S. Army in his early 40s and was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas,” says Sarah. “Two years ago, in the line of duty, he passed away unexpectedly leaving behind my mom, brother, and me. I have always admired my dad’s devotion and patriotism and will never forget the sacrifices he made for our family and country.” Jesus especially enjoys marine biology and is a strong student in math, English, and world languages. “While at Summer Session, I was able to add to many new U.S. and international friends to those I have met while living and attending school in five different countries in the past five years,” says Jesus. Jesus’s father is an officer in the Navy.