Advisory Council

Growing up, many of my neighbors were hardworking, humble, and serious people who I gradually learned were heroes who, just 40 plus years earlier, had landed at Normandy on D-Day to liberate the European continent while others had courageously served across the vast Pacific Theater during WWII. The inspiring examples of these quiet individuals will always remain with me.

For my Eagle Scout project, I supervised the creation of a memorial to honor America’s Vietnam Veterans in East Northport, NY. I was very grateful to achieve this goal as it meaningfully filled a void in my hometown’s main park where there were prominent memorials for veterans who had served in the nation’s past wars but notably, not Vietnam where my mother’s first cousin had made the ultimate sacrifice twenty years earlier.

As a high school junior, I proudly participated in the American Legion’s Boys State program in New York that was administered by the U.S. Marine Corps. This formative experience instilled in me a deep sense of civic duty, patriotism, and the importance of principled citizenship.

As a high school senior, as a participant in the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, I had the privilege of laying a wreath at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, an experience that cemented my desire to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

As a U.S. Army R.O.T.C. cadet at Villanova University, I learned the importance of servant leadership from some of the finest officers and non-commissioned officers to have ever worn the uniform.

Later, as a young U.S. Army officer, I had the privilege of reverently presenting an American flag to a grieving father to honor his son, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam and the Persian Gulf Wars. This moment imbued in me an awareness of how important a veteran’s service is to their family and friends.

Shortly thereafter, I also had the privilege of briefly serving overseas in the Middle East and Southwest Asia in support of Operations Southern Watch and Vigilant Sentinel. This experience powerfully reinforced my love of America’s example as a beacon of liberty.