On this Veterans Day, which also happens to be the birthday of veteran and alumnus Jacques Fontan '86, members of the Brother Martin community led by the NJROTC came together to honor our beloved veterans who put their lives on the line to defend us and our freedom. First, Principal Ryan Gallagher '00 spoke of the significance of this gathering in the Conlin Gym:
"Every time we gather in this place to celebrate Mass, we honor the ultimate sacrifice: Jesus’ death on the cross to bring us salvation. What the men and women of our armed services do is Christ-like: putting their lives on the line to secure our God-given freedoms and to protect the values that we, as a Christian nation, uphold. We can gather in this gym today because of the men and women who have served, fought, been wounded, and have died to secure a world where life is valued.
What our soldiers do is, in some ways, what we ask you to do: watch out for your brothers, make our school and our community a better place, help to reduce violence and injustice when you see it, and come together collectively to make Brother Martin—and our world at large—a better place, a safer place, a more loving and forgiving place—in other words, make it the sanctuary that is Brother Martin High School.
To do so means putting the needs of the greater school, of the greater society, before our own needs, and this is not easy. It means delaying personal gratification; it means enduring hardships so that others’ hardships can be relieved; it means putting “what do we need the most” over “what do I need right now.” Crusaders, we do this difficult work because God has given us the ability to do so and has given us a loving family and school community to support us as we do so. It is not an option; it is who we are as men and women of God. It is what our service men and women do willingly and nobly; it is what Christ did."
Our NJROTC cadets then led a moving prayer service for our veterans.
Afterward, Senior Chief Romico J. Barnes, USN (Ret) shared moving words of gratitude for the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families, and expressed the importance of cultivating the values of honor, courage, commitment, and sacrifice.
After the prayer service, our NJRTOC Cadets and the Crusader Band led guests, including veterans in the Brother Martin High School community and family members of Chief Petty Officer Jacques Fontan '86, to a special flag-raising ceremony in the Backyard.
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:13
On June 28, 2005, a rocket-propelled grenade hit a CH-47 helicopter in Afghanistan, killing all on board. Those on the mission set out to save a SEAL team that was caught behind enemy lines and fighting for their lives. A second helicopter was able to pick up the only survivor of the attack, Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell. The story is depicted in the book and movie Lone Survivor. Brother Martin graduate Jacques Fontan was killed in the rescue attempt, sacrificing his life for those he loved.
We would like to thank all our veterans, members of the Class of 1986 (Jacques's class), and other alumni and members of the Brother Martin community for joining us in this very special Veterans Day ceremony.
