3 minute read
Our Call to Serve
By LCDR Brendan "BradChad" McGinnis, USN
I vividly remember a fall day in second grade, playing kickball in gym class outside Cecil Elementary, in a small town near Pittsburgh. During our game, a 4th-grade teacher rushed out and yelled, “Code Red!” My friend and I raced up the hill to get inside.
That day, in a kid’s eyes, turned into an extended indoor recess—either in the classroom or the gym. We were too young to understand what was happening.
When I got home, my mom explained that planes had crashed in several places across the country. As a child, I couldn’t comprehend why that was such a big deal. It felt like these things happened a million miles away and didn’t have anything to do with us.
Later that evening, I learned that my dad’s best man in their wedding, Ken Waldie, had been on Flight 11, the first plane to hit the Twin Towers. Ken was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of ‘78, and had served as class president all four years—an unprecedented accomplishment, but not surprising to those who knew him.
In the years that followed, a scholarship was created in Ken’s honor, funded primarily through an annual golf outing where I volunteered. I was too young to remember ever meeting Ken, but every year I watched people fly in from across the country to honor him. They spoke so highly of his character that I thought, “If I could live a life where even half as many people said those kinds of things about me, that would be a life well lived.”
After learning about Ken and his commissioning through the Naval Academy, I explored every path that could lead me to wear the uniform—whether through the Naval Academy, ROTC, or OCS. Ultimately, the specific route didn’t matter. I felt a deep need to be part of something bigger than myself. With my childhood dream of becoming a pilot aligning so naturally with my call to serve, I never considered a backup plan.
Now, reflecting on the last 10 years of my career, I’ve had the honor of meeting people who served alongside Ken and gaining my own experiences that help me understand why I continue to wear the uniform. On my most recent deployment, I led Sailors who weren’t even born until after 2001. So why do we keep serving? As I approach the end of my initial commitment, I realize it’s the people—the ones I’ve met, mentored, and led—that fuel my dedication. The relationships I’ve built and the positive influence I’ve both given and received are the stories I cherish most.
Keep taking care of each other and never stop being the difference.
Read more about Ken Waldie’s story: www.forukenny.com. Fly Navy and Never Fold,
LCDR Brendan “BradChad” McGinnis, USN
National NHA Vice President of Membership 724.809.6548 brendan.s.mcginnis.mil@us.navy.mil
