Tag: military

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Olin joined a university-wide effort to send care packages to troops currently deployed in the Middle East. Students were encouraged to donate supplies such as toiletries, snacks, and baked goods to send overseas.

Coming from a military family, this effort spoke to me. Six soldiers were chosen to be recipients of our care packages. Each soldier was related somehow to members of the Washington University community, and they each sent special requests for items they could not regularly find while deployed.

With a list in hand, a classmate and I went to Sam’s Club to purchase supplies. We picked out about a hundred dollars worth of snacks and baby wipes. When I dropped the items off, I was in awe of the sheer amount of donations. A few thousand dollars worth of items must have been donated! It was amazing to see so many people contribute to our soldiers.

Later, I volunteered to help organize and send out the packages. Fourteen volunteers divided up all the donations based on the type of product, and then started making groups of packages per soldier. Every soldier received at least three boxes, each with themes of either toiletries or snacks. A local elementary school also sent hundreds of hand written notes to these soldiers thanking them for their service.

When my brother was deployed, he said the best things he ever received were crayon written notes by children. And in a few weeks, all Wash U sponsored students will receive a stack of these special cards.

Care packages are sent a few times a year from Olin, so next time I will be sure to recruit young talent for crayon drawings.

Thank you to past and present military for your service!

Welcome Back Colonel Angevine!

Colonel John E. Angevine U.S. Army (Retired) has returned to Brookings. A former Federal Executive Fellow while on active duty with the Army, John has “retired” to join BEE as our Executive Fellow for Veterans Affairs.

Read Colonel Angevine’s full biography » 

John brings to BEE a variety of experience in senior military leadership in the active duty Army as a Senior Army Aviator, battalion commander, Joint Specialty Officer, and Strategic Intelligence Officer, as well as joint duty assignments with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Defense Intelligence Agency, among others. His operational military assignments include: Operations HURRICANE ANDREW, PROVIDE COMFORT, IRAQI FREEDOM, and ENDURING FREEDOM.

As described in the following commentary, John seeks to continue his service to our country at BEE by helping veterans maximize their benefits and parlay their military leadership skills to the civilian world.

As part of Brookings Institution’s and Washington University in St. Louis’ continued commitment to veterans and military service members, I am honored to join Brookings Executive Education (BEE) as an executive fellow for Veterans Affairs. I seek to deliver decisive advantages to veterans in government, transitioning military, and Active Duty military, creating and delivering innovative executive leadership education that prepares our warriors for senior service in either government or corporate America.

Prior to joining Brookings, I worked in private industry, government agencies, and the U.S. Army with more than 32 years of leadership experience, setting and implementing visions that postured commercial and defense sectors for success with innovative solutions.

The BEE team and I look forward to preparing our veterans and service members to capitalize on their wealth of leadership experiences through comprehensive education for continued service in government and corporate America in their quest for leadership excellence. We strive to create a veterans and military friendly environment for you to earn your Master of Science in Leadership.

Please feel free to contact me for more information on our Veterans Affairs research and education programs by e-mail: jangevine@brookings.edu or telephone: 202.238.3172.

On May 12, the Wash U Military Care Package group mailed 11 boxes, weighing 206 lbs. to American troops. For the first time since 2004, some of the packages went to Africa. Hugh Tyschen, PMBA’11, has deployed several times including three tours while earning his degree at Olin.  Hugh sent this letter of thanks this month for the packages his group received during his last tour in Afghanistan.

“During my time here, our Afghan unit has performed admirably in daily combat. We were pleasantly surprised at their professionalism and determination. The Afghans did not shy away from an attack. I believe that with a small advisor presence at higher headquarters, they can become completely independent. Heroism on the battlefield among Afghans is common. The ability to solve logistical conundrums is not. Unfortunately, our unit sustained a high number of casualties. However, their resolve is unwavering and they will continue to battle the Taliban for the future of AFG.

“My advisor team was extremely lucky, our team had no members killed in action. Two Marines were wounded and received Purple Heart Medals during our tour of duty. LCpl Edward was knocked unconscious by an improvised explosive device, and Sgt Scaggs was shot in the buttocks by a sniper. Both recovered fully, and after the incident, Sgt Scaggs received a new call sign: “Gump.” I wish I could say we did not have any insider attacks, but that is an inherent threat that comes with the advising mission.

Hugh pictured in the 2011 Olin Business Magazine.

“I am proud to have served with such a fine team of Marines and British soldiers. I could not have handpicked a better group of patriots.

“Things I will miss about Afghanistan: my Afghan friends, the Afghan food, and the beautiful mountains.

“Things I will not miss about Afghanistan: random explosions throughout the day and night. And rats, won’t miss them.

“My interpreter, Najib, has completed his final visa interview. I hope he receives his visa in a timely manner (not likely) which he fully deserves after serving three continuous years in combat against the Taliban, side-by-side with US Marines.
“Thank you all for your continued support and prayers during this adventure. Our mission has come to an end. – Hugh”

“Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades”  For more on Memorial Day history and traditions, visit the History website.

On Thursday, April 17th, 2014 at 1900 hours, the Anheuser-Busch Dining Room in the Charles F. Knight Executive Education and Conference Center was transformed into a traditional military Dining-Out venue.

With a ROTC Color Guard, the mess stood as our distinguished guest speaker, Lieutenant General George Flynn, USMC (Ret), host Dean Mahendra Gupta, Mr. President of the Mess Mark Brostoff, Commander, MSC, United States Navy (Ret), and Gil Bickel, Chair, Olin Veterans Advisory Board joined more than 120 business leaders, faculty, staff, and most importantly Olin veterans from our MBA, PMBA and EMBA programs. The mess donned black-tie or military dinner dress to celebrate our proud Armed Forces connection to Olin Business School.

The centuries old tradition of a military Dining-Out is rooted in bringing together mess members for good food, drinks, camaraderie and the raising of funds (levy a fine) to support the mess. As protocol dictates, the act of fining members for breaking a mess rule was managed by Mr. Vice, Brian Campbell, MBA’14.

Throughout the evening, several members of the mess were cited by Mr. Vice for rule violations and were ordered to pay a fine and take a drink of the OVA Grog. By the end of the night, more than $1,700 was raised for Olin Veterans Association (OVA) scholarships.

A highlight of the evening was the keynote address by Lieutenant General Flynn, who eloquently talked about the importance of leadership, values in business, teamwork and respect.

Lieutenant General George Flynn

Lieutenant General Flynn cited personal experience from the battlefield, literature and historical references, captivating the mess with inspiration.

Mr.President gavelled the mess closed at 2100 hours and several joined in the Knight Center pub to build upon the traditions of the first Olin Veterans Association Dining-Out.

Credit for organizing this prestigious affair goes to  OVA president Ryan Maher, MBA ’14 for a job well-done.

More than 10 boxes, weighing over 100 pounds and carrying everything from breakfast bars, coffee, air fresheners, hand sanitizers, Chapstick, trail mix, Slim Jims and home-baked goods, are on their way to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, thanks to the Olin Cares MBA club and Washington University Military Care Package group.

The November care package set a record!

Since 2004, Washington University staff, students, faculty and administrators have donated, packaged and shipped at a cost of some $17,000 more than eight tons of supplies to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Spearheaded by Jill Edwards, project manager of university accreditation programs, this grassroots effort started with Edwards helping her sister prepare home-baked goods to send to troops in Iraq. Claire Patterson in the MBA office helps to organize donations, packing and shipping chores at Olin.

Members of Olin Cares helped prepare packages of donated items from the University community. The MBA club partnered with the Washington University Military Care Package group to separate, pack and ship boxes of essential items and treats to troops in Afganistan. The group hit their goal of sending 8 tons of supplies to the troops!

Read more about the Military Care Package program and thank you notes from the troops in the WUSTL Record.

Thanks to Sue McGinn Killenberg’s reporting that contributed to this blog post.

With more than 50 veterans currently enrolled in the business school, Olin proudly welcomes the men and women who have served in the armed forces to the ranks of our top-notch student body.

The Olin Veterans Association (OVA) is an active student organization and featured in the new issue of Olin Business magazine.

Read how the OVA helps veterans and their families make the transition to civilian life and the new challenges of graduate school. The OVA is also connected incoming veteran/students with veteran/alumni who serve as mentors and guides to new industries and employment possibilities.

Thanks to the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, Yellow Ribbon program, and scholarship funding from Olin, qualified veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be able to attend Washington University tuition-free.

Veterans not only serve in leadership positions at Olin, they are role models for all students and highly-valued by corporate recruiters. Read more about benefits for veterans at Olin on the website.

Photo credit: Flags, Enoch Lai, Flickr