Christchurch School: Honoring American Uniformed Services - Military Prep Education & Leadership Training for Future Service Members

Captain Monroe has masterfully recounted the service and dedication of those men and women who have served in our nation's uniformed services from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and our on-going fight against terrorism in the Middle East. This sense of duty and service was inculcated in the class rooms and playing fields of Christchurch School on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. As the author points out the school and other private secondary schools "seek to educate and train students for taking responsibility for their actions and exercising leadership." As a military historian and former records manager for Richmond, he employs one of the basic tools, the oral history, to capture a sense of the school's influence on its alumni in times of peace and war. From the classes of 1923 to 2007, more than 300 alumni and 30 faculty and staff have served their country and have won over 80 personal awards and decorations, including Navy Crosses, Silver Stars, and Purple Hearts. Many may be familiar with some of these alumni, among others William Styron, Lewis B. Puller, Jr., and Vice Admiral John W. Craine. Seventeen of their experiences and reflections provide the backbone for this book. Captain Monroe is imminently qualified for this task and has been perfecting his skills in oral history and writing since he volunteered at the present Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) in 1987 as one of the first Navy Reservist historians. He deployed to Bahrain to cover tanker reflagging operations in the Arabian Gulf in 1988, and to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1992 to analyze Haitian relief operations. He has also written about military support for our counterdrug operations, and our country's initial response to terrorist attacks in 2001. Since then he has continued to volunteer his expertise in naval history in support of current oral history projects at NHHC. He, too, exemplifies this sense of duty and honor that Christchurch inbues in its alumni and has been inspired to write about those who deserve to be remembered.