Mary Kelly ’83, Commander and Doctor, was one of the first women to graduate from the Naval Academy. She then went on to serve over 25 years of active duty.

On Wednesday, November 11, she shared a video to current students during class meetings in honor of Veterans Day: https://bit.ly/3km8ajA.

“The military gave me a great career,” she said. “I learned that 1) we don’t always get to control the situation; 2) we don’t always have perfect information to make great decisions; and 3) we don’t always get to control what we get, but we always get to control how we react.”

She asks us to remember the Veterans we may have met and the Veterans who have gone before us, and to think about those who will become future Veterans.

“Veterans Day is all about the people who have served in their country’s uniform- in peace time and in war time,” she said. “It is the idea of service.”

We express extreme gratitude to our country’s Veterans. Thank you for your service, you truly embody the meaning of Serviam.