Over There: Andover in World War I This is the fourth of five annual articles honoring the centennial of World War I and the involvement of Phillips Academy and its students and alumni. For the fullest account of this chapter in Andover history, see Claude M. Fuess’s Phillips Academy, Andover, in the Great War at https:// archive.org/details/phillipsacademya00fues.
Dresser, “…you give me just the right kind of news about the old school…Put a stamp on a box of PA tobacco…and I will thank you.” Dresser was serving with the French Army. Later, he transferred to an American unit, driving a fast, lightly armored, British-made Whippet Tank. In July 1918 he wrote: “It is really good fun to drive down trenches and up the rear side, over stone walls, through woods and shell holes…” Sgt. Dresser was killed in action that September.
Navy Yard. Through his will, Lancashire left $20,000 to the Academy, “In fond recognition of the many benefits that I acquired during my student years at Andover.” His gift formed the nucleus of the Ammi Wright Lancashire Teaching Foundation, which supports a senior member of the faculty.
More than 2,000 Phillips Academy students and alumni heeded the call, most serving in the U.S. Army and Navy from the spring of 1917 through war’s end. But many signed up earlier, enlisting in the Canadian, British, and French military or with American-organized ambulance units, the Red Cross, and the YMCA. To honor their service and sacrifice, and most especially to honor 85 alumni who died in World War I, ground was broken for the Memorial Bell Tower in 1922. “Dear Smitty,” began a September 1917 letter from recent graduate George
The Newsletter of Andover and the Military
Summer 2017
John Doherty ’59
Tet Offensive—The Call of Duty
James Knowles (Class of 1914) left Harvard to enlist in April 1917, hoping to become an aviator. Trained in France and commissioned a 1st lieutenant that November, in March 1918 he was assigned to the 95th Aero Squadron. Knowles was a natural as a fighter pilot and honored as an ace credited with downing five German planes. For his extraordinary wartime service, Knowles was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre. Knowles counted himself lucky, for World War I aviation was extremely dangerous; The Great War began in 1914, but the deaths from training accidents, mechanical United States remained neutral until April failure, and combat were common. So too, 1917. In contrast, Phillips Academy had to a lesser extent, was service in all units. effectively joined the war effort long before, Added to these dangers, the flu pandemic thanks to Trustee Henry Stimson and of 1918–1920 took a heavy toll. Among Headmaster Alfred Stearns—both advoAndover’s World War I dead, 19 were cating support for the British and French. aviators; 26 died in the ground war; and Through their efforts, rifle training was intro34 died of disease, primarily pneumonia duced in 1915, funds were raised to supand the flu. port the Allies, and an Andover Ambulance Unit, staffed by faculty and students, sailed Ammi Wright Lancashire (Class of 1908), for France. From 1915 on, Andover publica- an investment banker, was among those who died of pneumonia. Ensign tions were rife with war-inspired fiction, Lancashire, assigned to the Navy’s cable poems, letters from the front, and editorial censorship department, was stationed calls for patriotism and enlistment. Once aboard the USS Kansas, Philadelphia the United States declared war, students were organized into a training battalion. Jack Wright, a member of the Andover Ambulance Unit, wrote: “If any of the fellows left behind inquire about us, tell them we are standing on the shores of France to cheer the boat that will bring them.”
The Blue Guidon
The 1968 Tet Offensive embroiled South Vietnam in some of the most intensive fighting of the Vietnam War. In the historic city of Huê, a small garrison of American forces fought alongside their South Vietnamese allies to repel more than 7,500 North Vietnamese soldiers. It was here that Capt. John Doherty ’59 fought to help successfully staunch the North Vietnamese assault on the city.
Thomas Alexander Butkiewicz (Class of 1900) was the son of a postmaster in Luzerne County, Pa.: coal country. An outstanding athlete at PA and Princeton, Butkiewicz was voted onto football’s 1904 All-American team as a tackle. Returning to Luzerne County, he became a successful lawyer. In 1916 he closed his practice and joined a volunteer American ambulance section assisting the French 74th Infantry. His organizational ability, leadership, and repeated acts of bravery at the front earned Butkiewicz the Croix de Guerre. After the U.S. entered the war, Butkiewicz commanded U.S. Ambulance Service Section 523, again earning commendations for his devotion, fearlessness, and leadership. Discharged in March 1919, Butkiewicz then joined American Red Cross relief efforts in Poland. These sons of Andover put dreams aside, Turned from the paths of peace and took the shadowy trail, Rough, steep and wide. —Harold Crawford Stearns (Class of 1911) Phillips Bulletin, July 1919
For more on the First World War, watch PBS’s American Experience “Great War,” at www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/ films/great-war/. —David Chase Faculty Emeritus
After Andover, Doherty had enrolled at Harvard in the university’s Army ROTC program. Although aspiring to become a classics professor, Doherty cites his family’s generations of military service and their non sibi influence as motivating factors for him to serve. After graduating from Harvard in 1963, Doherty was commissioned as a military intelligence officer and reported to Fort Benning, Ga., and then Fort Holabird, Md., for schooling before serving a short stint with the Southern European Task Force in Verona, Italy. From Italy, Doherty was reassigned to Vietnam, arriving in Saigon in June 1966. Doherty’s first tour brought him to the city of Phan Thiêt, where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment—and where he truly found
a home. Serving as an assistant intelligence officer and prisoner of war interrogator, Doherty was instrumental in the planning and conduct of a number of high-profile raids against the Viet Cong. Motivated by his experiences and his fellow soldiers, Doherty volunteered for a second combat tour. After a brief 30-day break in the States, Doherty returned to Vietnam and was reassigned to a Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, advisory team in Huê. “Huê,” remarked Doherty, “was a completely different war than Phan Thiêt.” Unlike in the south, where forces mostly fought Viet Cong, the northern provinces faced the far better trained and equipped North Vietnamese Army. Doherty served as the G-2 air advisor to the South Vietnamese 1st Infantry Division and advisor to the division’s Reconnaissance Company, patrolling with the elite unit after the previous advisor was wounded. At 0340 on the morning of January 31, 1968, Doherty was in the advisory compound on the south side of the city when the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive. The first rocket to hit the advisory compound destroyed Doherty’s jeep. For the next few harrowing days, alongside Marines and Soldiers, Doherty fought an urban battle against thousands of North Vietnamese. Doherty volunteered to patrol with Marines tasked with regaining control of the city. It was during this time that Doherty was wounded three times, including twice on February 4. Unable to be medically evacuated due to instability in the city, Doherty fought on for another two weeks before being evacuated by helicopter to Danang. After movement to Cho Lon, a suburb of Saigon, Doherty was wounded a fourth time when a rocket knocked him unconscious mere hours before his flight back to the United States for medical treatment and out-processing. “Military service is an honorable undertaking, and I believe it’s one way to give back to our country,” said Doherty. “Andover’s terrific military legacy is something worth celebrating.” Still involved in Vietnam veterans’ issues, Doherty returned to Vietnam this spring. —Capt. Hanson Causbie ‘08, U.S. Army
Alumni Profile
Eyewitness to History General Dynamics Bath Iron Works
A Ship of His Own (DDG-116) On April 1, 2017, the USS Thomas Hudner was christened in Bath, Maine, as a chill wind blew off the Kennebec River, swirling snow and freezing rain on the assembled crowd. Hundreds, including government and Navy dignitaries, fellow Medal of Honor recipients, the family of Ensign Jesse Brown, and many members of the Andover family, gathered at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works to witness the Navy and the nation honor a true American hero, Capt. Thomas J. Hudner ’43. Dedication of the USS Thomas Hudner. Inset: Capt. Thomas J. Hudner ’43.
In recognition of Hudner’s acts of extraordinary valor in the Korean War in his attempt to save wingman Jessie Brown’s life, the Navy proudly christened its newest Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer in his name. With the swing of a bottle of champagne, Hudner’s wife, Georgia, proclaimed, “For the United States of America, we christen thee Thomas Hudner. May God bless this ship and all who sail in her!” With the smashing of glass, the Navy band sprang into action, playing “Anchors Aweigh” as confetti popped and streamed through the air. Hudner, fellow Korean War veterans, and the assembled masses applauded with pride.
In May, a number of Andover veterans gathered at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and McChord Field, both in Washington State, to share in a two-day “rendezvous” with currently serving graduates. On Day 1, Capt. Rob Patrick, USN, PA ’88, introduced our veterans to his Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 and its leaders, mission, and aircraft. That afternoon, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, USA (Ret), PA ’60, provided a leadership seminar for the wing’s officers. On Day 2, our veterans gathered at McChord Field to watch Lt. Col. Kenny Weiner, USAF, PA ’96, assume command of the 62nd Operations Support Squadron. As part of the Air Force ceremony, the unit’s guidon was passed from the hands of the outgoing squadron commander to the group commander, then to Kenny as a symbol of the unit’s change of leadership. This issue of The Blue Guidon celebrates the contributions of remarkable Andover graduates who served in WWI, in the Pacific during WWII, in Korea, in Vietnam, and traveled to Iraq to assist Kurdish Peshmerga military efforts. Each of these individuals volunteered to put themselves in harm’s way to contribute to noble causes far larger than themselves. Each has our utmost gratitude. Non Sibi,
Charlie Dean ’79 2
Following the births of his second and third children, twins, Robert Thomson Breed ’33 withdrew from Cornell Medical School and took a job at the sprawling General Electric campus in West Lynn, Mass., not far from the place where his forefather, Allen Breed, settled in 1630.
ALUMNI CURRENTLY ON ACTIVE DUTY* Cat Reppert ’02
Benjamin Bolduc ’16
Eric Chase ’01
AnnaMaria Dear ’16
Matthew Sullivan ’00
Anirudh Murali ’16
Hunter Washburn ’00
Alexandra Bell ’13
Jarreau Jones ’00
Christopher Perkins ’12
Gil Barndollar ’00
Christopher Kent ’11
Justin Accomando ’99
Adrian Lehnen ’10
Grancis Santana ’99
Ansley White ’10
Ali Ghaffari ’98
Walker Washburn ’08
Luis Gonzalez ’97
Jess Choi ’08
Michelle Kalas ’97
Jake Bean ’08
Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96
Hanson Causbie ’08
Kenny Weiner ’96
Eamon Hegarty ’08
Rush Taylor ’96
Alex Ryan ’07
Laurie Coffey ’95
Lauren Johnson ’07
Randy Allen ’95
Helal Syed ’07
Ryan Shann ’93
EDITOR Charlie Dean ’79
Karl Novick ’07
Matthew Macarah ’93
Connor Flynn ’06
Spencer Abbot ’91
ASSOCIATE EDITOR George S.K. Rider ’51
Aaron Stroble ’04
Craig Der Ananian ’91
Livy Coe ’04
Kenneth Jambor ’91
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Charlie Dean ’79, chair Seth Moulton ’97, cochair Christine Balling ’86 Tom Beaton ’73 Livy Coe ’04 Laurie Coffey ’95 Johnson Lightfoote ’69 Karl Andrew Novick ’07 Robert Patrick ’88 George Rider ’51 Don Way ’63
Jenn Bales ’04
Eric Hawn ’89
Tom Barron ’04
Rob Patrick ’88
Steve Draheim ’04
Kazimierz Kotlow ’83
Matt Fram ’04
Graeme Henderson ’83
Walter Haydock ’04
Douglas Creedon ’79
—George S.K. Rider ’51
I hope you enjoy reading this new issue of The Blue Guidon. Some readers have asked, “What is a guidon?” Simple: a guidon is a small flag, often with a swallow’s tail cutout, attached to a handheld pole or “staff.” Guidons serve as the rallying point for small units; similarly, this newsletter collects incredible stories of Andover and Abbot alumni and their military service.
Mosquito Boats in the Pacific
Annette Bell ’16
“Tom Hudner has been a quiet hero his whole life,” noted Adam Makos, author of Devotion, the story of Navy pilots Hudner and Brown. “This is a salute from his country to him.”
From the Editor
Robert Thompson Breed ’33
THE BLUE GUIDON The Newsletter of Andover and the Military Vol. 5, Number 2 Published biannually by the Office of Academy Resources, Phillips Academy
Nick Ksiazek ’03 *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.
He was working in a chemistry lab when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. With three young children at home, few would have faulted my dad if he’d chosen to sit out the war, but he had no option: he was a patriot and he was a Breed. His grandfather, Dr. Bowman Bigelow Breed (Class of 1849) was on his way south to fight the Confederates four days after Fort Sumter was bombarded, leaving behind a wife and 4-month-old son. His father, Nathaniel Pope Breed, served as an Army surgeon in France during World War I. Dad had flown planes at Amherst and wanted to join the Army Air Corps, but at 27, he was already too old. So, having grown up less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, he joined the Navy and was sent to Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School at Northwestern University. Three months later, on April 23, 1943, he emerged as an ensign and was assigned to the Motor Torpedo Boats. For their size, Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats were the most heavily armed vessels in the Navy. He was assigned to Squadron 23, whose arm patch depicted Bugs Bunny riding a torpedo and giving Prime Minister Tojo the finger. His first boat, PT-283, was patrolling off Bougainville [Solomon Islands] on St. Patrick’s Day 1944 when a shell, possibly from one of our own destroyers,
Recent News
Non Sibi in Iraq Christine Balling ’86 has spent several years researching the role of women in insurgencies and small armies, working with U.S. Army Civil Affairs teams in Colombia under Adm. William McRaven, former SOCOM commander. In 2016, Balling travelled to Iraq, where she interviewed members of the first Yazidi all-female unit of the Kurdish Peshmerga near Duhok and assisted the unit with the delivery of supplies on behalf of a Washingtonbased nonprofit. Most recently, Balling worked with the USMC Small Wars Center at Quantico, Va., and coauthored the new NATO counterinsurgency doctrine that pertains to female insurgents. —George S.K. Rider ’51
hit her midship. The explosion sent flames 300 feet into the air; five crewmembers died. By then, Dad had been assigned to PT-284 as the executive officer, and they rushed in and rescued the survivors. In the final months of the war, Dad was given command of PT-288, which helped liberate Palawan Island. He sadly recalled survivors of a Japanese massacre of American POWs scampering from the jungle to greet them; he saw the charred remains of those who’d been herded into air raid trenches and set ablaze. During his nearly two years in the South Pacific, the boats would take Dad from the Solomon Islands to the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. He received orders to head to the Mediterranean, but they were canceled when the Third Reich surrendered. Dad finished out his service as an athletic officer in Boston. For his service, Dad (Lt. Breed) received the Bronze Star, with combat “V” device for valor. The citation credited him with taking part in 85 combat patrols. He also was cited for proving “his unusual skill by administering to the wounded until his boat could return to base and the men could receive medical care.” At a PT boat reunion in 2000, he told me: “I thank God every day that I got here safe. I thank God.” Dad passed away on April 26, 2004, a month after his 89th birthday. —Allen Breed ’82
The Andover and the Military Challenge Inspired by the generosity of the Hewett family, Andover and the Military (AATM) volunteers have set a goal to increase the AATM’s endowment by $100,000 by Veterans Day 2017. In honor of George H. Hewett (Class of 1919), Tony Hewett ’72 and his family, including Marilyn ’11 and Andrea ’13, have made a lead gift of $50,000 to the LCDR Erik S. Kristensen Scholarship Fund. Recognizing Col. Hewett’s exemplary military service in the First and Second World Wars—for which he received three Bronze Stars—this gift reflects his deep affection for Andover as well as his family’s appreciation of his service. Please consider making a gift to support the work of this program. To learn more, please contact Nicole Cherubini at 978-7494288 or ncherubini@andover.edu, or make your gift at giving.andover.edu (specify the Andover and the Military Challenge as the designation). Thank you! 3