Major Andrew Lee, USMC, Helps RL Honor Veterans Day

Major Andrew Lee, United States Marine Corps
Gil Rosenthal '19
Lo Monteiro-Clewell '19
Headmaster Kerry Brennan, Matt Fumarola '19, and Major Andrew Lee

On November 12, Headmaster Brennan welcomed students, faculty, staff and three dozen guests—alumni, parents, grandparents—to Roxbury Latin’s annual Veterans Day Hall, which honors, as Mr. Brennan began, “those veterans who are with us, and also all those others who have served our country in peacetime and wartime over the past 250 years. Their commitment, loyalty, and service to our country, to the values for which it stands, and for each one of us ought never to be forgotten.” Included in the audience were military veterans Bob Powers ’66, Assistant Headmaster Emeritus Bill Chauncey, former Trustee Jack Regan, Dennis Carr, former RL master Ed Ellison, Father William Kennedy ’77, Fred Reis ’52, George McMahon, and faculty member Robert Moore.

Following a welcome by the Headmaster—which included a brief history of Armistice Day, and of the RL alumni who committed their lives to military service, 36 of whom made the ultimate sacrifice—came readings by seniors Gil Rosenthal and Lo Monteiro-Clewell (Anthem for Doomed Youth and In Flanders Fields, respectively). Rousing renditions of the songs America, I Vow to Thee My Country, and God Bless America rounded out a celebration that culminated in an address delivered by Major Andrew Lee of the United States Marine Corps—also uncle to Matt Fumarola of Class I and Andrew Fumarola ‘14. View the entirety of Major Lee’s entertaining, personal, and powerful talk—as well as the complete question and answer session—here.

Major Lee enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1994 and was assigned as a rifleman to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines. After the events of September 11, he enrolled in officer candidate school and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7 Marine Regiment, where he served as Rifle Platoon Commander, Heavy Weapons Platoon Commander, and Assistant Operations Officer. During this time Major Lee deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I, II and III. In July 2006, Major Lee left active duty and joined the Boston Fire Department. In September 2007, he rejoined the Marine Corps Forces Reserve and served as Company Commander and Operations Officer in 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, during which time he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Upon returning from Afghanistan, Major Lee attended Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and in January 2016 he re-entered active duty as Operations Officer for a special purpose Marine Corps Task Force deploying to Central America and the Caribbean Islands as crisis response. Major Lee has earned many personal decorations including the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal.

As Headmaster Brennan also shared in Hall, currently in active duty on behalf of our country are the following Roxbury Latin alumni:

Frederick Kenney ’76

William Kennedy ’77

William Bender ’81

Joseph Hanrahan ’87

John C. Gillon ’93

Jeff Adams ’97

Lawrence Sullivan ’04

James Astrue ’05

Zach Ciccolo ’05

Colin Murphy ’05

Matthew Neelon ’09

Ray Henderson ’10

Thomas Buckley ’11

Dante Gaziano ’11

Josh Rivers ’11

Robert Powell ’11

Paul Bodet ’12

Chase Gilmore ’12

Mikey Trainin ’12

Tom Warner ’13

James Joyce ’14

Martin Buckley ’15 is currently enrolled in ROTC at Notre Dame.

“Through these RL men we can draw a direct and impressive line to those WWII vets honored by the School several years ago, to four RL alumni casualties in the Civil War, and to RL’s most famous veteran, General Joseph Warren, Class of 1755, who lost his life at Bunker Hill. The inclination to serve our country is a natural extension of John Eliot’s admonition to serve as he said, ‘in Church and Commonwealth,’” said Headmaster Brennan.Photos by Mike Pojman