“When you go in this room it tells a story, and it’s a sacred story. It is an emotional story. And you think about this, some of these boys were 19 years old,” said Dr. Jack H. Albert Jr., president of SJNMA. “They walked these halls, they played in these fields, they went to these classrooms, and as I say, served our country with dignity and honor and some did not return. So we honor them here today, and we say thank you.” Cadet Benjamin Kelley 2018 developed a mobile app for his Eagle Scout project, which allows users to search for information about each Academy cadet who died in service. The app is available on a tablet for
visitors to use in the War Memorial Room. Cadet Kelley collaborated with Peg Koller, Academy librarian and archivist, and spent many hours during the 2016-2017 school year developing the app, scanning photos, and uploading information about each serviceman. The Academy secured a generous lead gift of $25,000 from VFW Soat-Vergenz Post #721 to fund the relocation, and a $15,000 gift from Don Mullet S1960 to complete the project. This new space continues to honor the sacrifices made by Academy servicemen and to remind future generations of what has been bestowed upon them. See Glimpses from the Past on pages 40-41 for stories on a few Academy servicemen who died in service.
BELOW: LCpl Harrison Kampling 2015 (center) and visiting veterans view photos of Academy alumni who served in World War II and the Global War on Terrorism.
THE BEACON | St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy
SUMMER 2017
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