Above: Lt. Col Campbell with Jonathan Kelly '11; Tom Boulé ’11 with his family. 

Sons of Xavier Graduate from West Point

By Michael P. Batten '10

Four Sons of Xavier graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and were commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Army on Saturday, May 23. The group of four—Jack Rosenhammer ’08, Tom Boulé ’11, Eric Gonzalez ’11, and Jonathan Kelly ’11—are now Army Officers who will go forth to proudly serve their country.

All four Army Officers were commissioned to serve in different capacities. Rosenhammer was commissioned as an Infantry Officer, Boulé and Gonzalez were commissioned as Armor Officers, and Kelly was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. In the coming months, they will receive extensive training in their respective fields at training schools throughout the country.

Rosenhammer, Boulé, Gonzalez, and Kelly were all dedicated members of the Xavier Regiment, and they each had a longstanding interest in military service and in attending a service academy. They supplemented their time in the JROTC with various extracurricular activities; Rosenhammer and Boulé played rugby, and Gonzalez and Kelly were members of the fitness-oriented Raiders Team.

Lt. Col. Roy Campbell (USA, Ret.), the Senior Army Instructor of the Xavier Regiment, attended their graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, and he expressed his utmost confidence that the four newly-minted second lieutenants would succeed in their duties. "Their Jesuit values will serve them well as Army Officers," he said.

With the recent graduation of these four cadets, Xavier now has more than 10 alumni preparing for military service at West Point, in addition to several others who are studying at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School or stationed at the Naval and Air Force Academies. Just like 2nd Lts. Rosenhammer, Boulé, Gonzalez, and Kelly, we know they will succeed admirably in their endeavors and serve our country with pride.