THOUGHTS FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL, JOSEPH VORBACH:
Over the course of any given year, Bishop O'Connell students are blessed by unique opportunities to engage with government officials, foreign diplomats, research scientists, military leaders and other experts from across a range of disciplines (you can view our Global Studies Certificate Program webpage for some sense of the scope of these opportunities).
Thanks to our alumni and parents networks and our unique location outside Washington, these moments are fairly frequent and we always try to make the most of them. Earlier this week, students in Ms. McNulty's American Government course were beneficiaries of a particularly special and unique opportunity -- the chance to learn from and be inspired by a national hero, one of only 75 living Congressional Medal of Honor winners.
Colonel Harvey Barnum, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) earned the Medal of Honor for his gallant initiative and heroic conduct in Quang Tin Province, Vietnam in December of 1965. He began his day at Bishop O'Connell by leading the school in the pledge of allegiance and then was with Ms. McNulty's classes throughout the rest of the day, sharing his story, getting the students thinking about duty and leadership, and encouraging them to aspire to be a person with whom others are proud to be associated.
This was an especially unique learning opportunity for these students...to learn about the Medal of Honor, the kind of heroism that it rewards, and to challenge all students to think about how none of us ever really knows when we are going to be called upon to rise above adversity to serve the immediate needs of others.
Knowing what I now know about Col. Barnum, it is no surprise that the United States is honoring his service and example by naming an Arleigh Burke class naval destroyer after him. The USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr (DDG 124) is expected to enter service in 2024.
More on Colonel Barnum:
Congressional Medal of Honor Society: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3225/barnum-harvey-c-jr.php
Biographical Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ_P60AGYtg
A few weekend reminders:
We'll run our second annual 5k and Fun Run tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. and the Festival of the Arts begins at 6 p.m. I hope to see you this weekend!