It took Major General Othman, 8th Iraqi Army Division Commander, longer than Ann H. Gildroy expected for him to finish her Harvard Business School recommendation.
The deadline was approaching by the time Othman finished the letter, and Gildroy was left with no choice but to snap a quick picture of it, upload it to her computer, and e-mail the JPEG to the Admissions Office in Cambridge, hoping that someone there would be able to translate the recommendation from Arabic. “They’re either going to accept this or throw it out, but I can’t do anything about it,” Gildroy remembered thinking.
As if the typical application process isn’t stressful enough, Gildroy also had to deal with her responsibilities as an Iraqi Security Force Liaison Officer. In fact, the morning after she submitted the application, she greeted interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and then Lieutenant General David Petraeus, now the top U.S. officer in Iraq.
As for the interview component, it took three tries to establish a good connection via satellite phone. Iraq’s first democratic elections would be held shortly, and the military stood on edge as officials predicted that horrific violence would soon erupt.
Now in her second year at Harvard Business School (HBS), Gildroy can laugh at the obstacles that made her application process a struggle. Luckily, Harvard had no problem deciphering the foreign script, and in 2005 she joined roughly 100 other military veterans at HBS and many more scattered among the other graduate school communities.
After years of serving all over the world, these students bring leadership skills and unique perspectives to a campus of individuals who have often had scarce exposure to the armed forces. A symbiotic relationship has emerged at Harvard’s graduate schools: veterans share their insights with the Harvard community, and, in return, they gain the time and resources to plan a career change while integrating back into civilian society.
YOU’RE IN THE B-SCHOOL NOW
For many of these veterans, the decision to attend graduate school evolves during their years of service. Equipped with a deep understanding of the public sector, formal training in the private sector becomes a logical next step. Graduate school provides a comforting answer to the “now what?” feeling experienced by recently released officers.
After spending more than 19 months with the Marines in the Middle East, Nathan M. Boaz thought he would stay in the military or work for the FBI or CIA. Business School was not on Boaz’s radar until an old military friend studying at HBS told him he would love it. Boaz was willing to pay the application fee after listening to his friend’s advice, but business school was low on his list of priorities. In fact, Harvard was the only business school the Marine even looked at. “I owe him big time,” said Boaz, who graduated from HBS in 2006 and is now working for McKinsey & Company.
Harvard seems to recognize the importance of a veteran presence on its graduate campuses and seeks to capitalize on the knowledge they bring. In February, the Kennedy School brought together a panel of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and featured a keynote address from Lieutenant General Douglas E. Lute, Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The event brought together a panel of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and featured a keynote address from Lieutenant General Douglas E. Lute, Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The fact that they value military experience made me value HBS,” said Frank J. Monterisi, a second-year HBS student and former officer with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan. “That’s a great selling technique.”
At an institution that highly values diversity, armed service is considered one of many distinguishing backgrounds. Tobias S. Loss-Eaton, an admissions officer at the Law School, said, “Military experience is looked at very much the same way as other valuable experiences.”
In addition to the large network of veterans, financial aid packages draw a handful of military officers every year. “Harvard was very generous in helping me fund the tuition, and that made the difference, since no one comes out of the military with a pile of stock options,” said Nathaniel C. Fick, an MBA candidate at the Business School. Fick left the Marines as a Captain and earned a Master’s degree in International Security Policy from KSG. He has become something of a veteran celebrity on campus after his book “One Bullet Away,” which described his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, became a New York Times bestseller.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that graduate school is such a good fit for veterans: Deirdre C. Leopold (MBA ’80), managing director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, observes a significant overlap between military skills and ideal Business School qualities. “We ask all applicants to tell us about their leadership experiences and aspirations—those from the military usually have lots to tell about leadership, accountability, responsibility, stamina,” Leopold wrote in an e-mailed statement. According to Monterisi, the abilities he developed as a Marine formed a foundation for success as a business school student. “I have some great firsthand experience in the Marine Corps, but it’s a different world out in the civilian world,” he said. “What business school does is complement your military skills with skills they teach you. It adds more tools to your kitbag.”
SURROUNDED BY SERVICE
Although the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ushered in a new generation of graduates with combat experience, they are certainly not the first Harvard students to balance devotion to service and study. The class of 1949 was almost entirely composed of World War II veterans, and evidence of military sacrifice abounds all over campus.
Amidst the bustling traffic on what is known as the “JFK bridge,” it is easy to overlook two plaques that dedicate the structure to Nicholas Longworth Anderson, a graduate of Harvard in 1858 and soldier in the Civil War. His son hoped the bridge would be “an ever present reminder to students passing over it of loyalty to country and alma mater.” Similarly, Soldiers Field, where student athletes practice every day, was named in honor of Civil War veterans.
Former University President Lawrence H. Summers is well aware of Harvard’s military legacy and supports veterans on campus. “All of us at the University should be grateful to those who defend our country and the freedoms that make it possible for an institution like Harvard to exist,” he wrote in an e-mailed statement. “Since the Viet Nam war, differences over the policy choices of elected officials have sometimes led to unfortunate cleavages between the military and the academic community. I believe repairing these rifts is of great importance.”
Kevin T. Ryan, a senior fellow at KSG and former military officer, has been impressed with the general reaction towards veterans. “I think the attitude at the Kennedy School is very positive towards the military and the military faculty, and this is a big change from the Vietnam era,” said Ryan.
Regardless of this shift in attitude, some student veterans generally try to keep a low profile when it comes to the politics of the current conflict. “I support the war, but I don’t go wearing it on my sleeve,” said Erik F. Swabb, former Marine officer and current co-president of Harvard Law School veterans association. “I understand people can have legitimate arguments both for and against the war.”
DUTY NEVER ENDS
Despite the excitement of starting a new chapter in one’s life, moving on from the military is no simple prospect. Particularly during a war, student veterans encounter constant reminders of what life was like not long ago. “Especially at the Business School, you sit in your plush surroundings and there really is an overwhelming sense of guilt,” said Gildroy. “At times you question if you should be sitting in the classroom or fighting in Iraq.”
For some, including Gildroy herself, that question is answered by necessity. After a certain number of years in active reserve, most military contracts require subsequent years of Independent Ready Reserve. A large percentage of veterans at Harvard are currently at this stage, in which they could potentially be recalled to once again deploy abroad.
“Inactive duty is a way of life,” said Sarah M. Stokes, a second-year Business School student. She served as a logistics officer in the Marine Corps for the initial invasion of Iraq, and always knew there was a chance she would be called back. “If they need us, they need us for a reason,” said Stokes. “I feel like I need to go, and I feel lucky I’m graduating.”
Veterans acknowledge the fact that their lives might be redirected at any point. With little warning, recalled troops leave friends and family for another extended tour halfway across the globe. Though the daily routine of a veteran may be nearly the same as any other student, veterans carry a sense of their underlying obligation as they go through their careers in grad school.
Robin M. Kovitz is a Canadian HBS student who learned most of what she knows about the United States military from Gildroy and Stokes. She was with them during the period of uncertainty before recall announcements, and was torn to find out they’d been selected. “My heart just sank,” said Kovitz. “You have respect for their duty to serve their nation, but you think ‘Am I going to see this person again?’ It’s really shocking.”
In the face of this anxiety, a network of veterans at Harvard works to ease the transition to civilian life. Although individual experiences vary greatly, prior service in the armed forces creates a common bond that has led to the formation of several veterans’ groups among the graduate population.
One such club, The Armed Forces Alumni Association, seeks to “assist in the professional development and job search process of members; to promote camaraderie among members; and to raise awareness and support for the military,” according to its mission statement. “As a club, we try to create more awareness and support for veterans’ issues,” said Ann L. Gallo, a movement control officer in Iraq and current co-president of the Business School Armed Forces Alumni Association (AFAA). “We held a fundraiser to help New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans a few weeks ago.”
Her husband Alex Gallo is the president of the AFAA at the Kennedy School, and served as an Infantry Officer during the same period as his wife. He feels the AFAA serves an especially important role: correcting poor coverage of Iraq. “The media, in my opinion, is doing horribly reporting the war. I was there the entire year and I saw an American media reporter only one time. And I was in the very hotbed of the action.”
By contrast, the large population of veterans provides a window into an unfamiliar experience for civilian graduate students. For some, it is the first time meeting someone from the military, and for others, the first time meeting someone who recently served in Iraq.
Sujay R. Jaswa, an HBS student and Princeton undergraduate, has been both impressed and humbled by his veteran peers. “Most of us come from the Ivory Tower background, standard corporate America, big banks in Asia, but the reality is that very few of us have had experience with anything that requires real human sacrifice,” said Jaswa.
As with any diverse student body, varying backgrounds provide an opportunity for education outside of the classroom. Most veterans are excited to share their experiences with their civilian peers, but it can also be frustrating to encounter such relative ignorance.
Seth W. Moulton ’01 is currently in the active Marine Reserves and has been accepted to the combined degree program for HBS and KSG. “I’m shocked at how disconnected Harvard students are from the war, and I’m shocked because these people are not that different from the young Americans fighting and dying overseas. When it’s mostly 20-year-olds fighting our wars, it could very easily be you, and then it doesn’t matter how you feel about the war.”
Roger D. Huffstetler Jr. came to Harvard for a PhD in chemistry a few years ago, but left soon after to join the Marines. He was deployed both to Afghanistan and Iraq, and is now ready to come back here, this time for a joint degree from HBS and KSG. “Harvard undergraduates are unique individuals and have a lot to add to society, but they also have a lot to add to the armed forces...I don’t want them to discount that as an option,” said Huffstetler.
FROM BULLETS TO THE BOARDROOM?
Just as there is no single track leading from the military to Harvard graduate school, veterans with a master’s degree or MBA in hand pursue an array of opportunities along with their peers. Some will return to the armed forces, while some will climb the ranks of the corporate ladder. Monterisi will work as a real estate developer in New York City, Gildroy has a job lined up at Goldman Sachs, and Stokes has a spot at Boston Consulting Group.
“Most of my peers on Wall Street manage three or four other people. In Iraq I was responsible for thirty-six fellow young Americans, often over questions of life or death. There’s probably no more intense leadership experience anywhere on earth,” said Moulton.
For many of these students the choice to join the military does not represent an end, but a means. Besides seeking out a sense of camaraderie at a place where many share their experience, veterans choose to come to Harvard because they feel their time in the armed forces has prepared them for the next step. Those who serve point out that the skills they have learned act as a building block in their career. “I got so much personally out of being in the military that I feel badly for somebody who might want to do it but doesn’t consider it,” said Stokes. “It’s an amazing institution.”
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