Dear Alumni,

Veterans Day celebrations every Nov. 11 remind us of the sacrifices made by the members of our armed forces as they have served their nation in both war and peace. Through their service they have protected our nation from dangerous adversaries both near and far. Our nation is safer for their sacrifices, as are the citizens of our closest allies around the world. 

At the Center for the Study of American Democracy, we are reminded of the service of Kenyon alumni who have put their lives on the line to protect our country’s interests and our freedom. Many have served in the Second World War, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, as well as more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others have been deployed to U.S. bases or hotspots around the world in recent decades, helping to maintain peace for the United States and its allies. Yet other Kenyon alumni have found other ways to serve our nation — many as U.S. Foreign Service officers in our diplomatic corps.

For those who may have missed it, our 2021 panel on “Citizenship, Service and the Liberal Arts” with Tom Au ’08, Ron Bliss ’68, Jenny Lu Mallamo ’08 and Greg Spaid ’68, H’08 is available to watch on Youtube.

Another resource the student associates who are interning at the CSAD have created is a brief history of military service at Kenyon since the First World War, which includes clippings of news articles from Kenyon publications. We would like to learn more about our alumni veterans so we can feature them in future college-organized events and communications. Please let us know if you are a veteran by completing this form, and thank you for your service!

This Veterans Day, I hope all alumni and friends of the College will join me in honoring the Kenyon alumni who have served our country. We are forever indebted to their sacrifice in protecting and defending democracy around the world. 

Sincerely,