by Joshua Welle
The Naval Institute Press is a publisher that cares about its authors, not just their sales numbers on Amazon.com. Tom Cutler, director of Professional Publishing, fearlessly worked to meet a tight deadline, and his team—which included Susan Corrado, managing editor, and freelance copyeditor Robin Surratt—made it happen. We also received support from the institute’s talented marketing team. George Keating and Claire Noble provided incredible marketing guidance. Our publicist, Judy Heise, and Brian Walker, special sales manager, were passionate about the book’s success. Vice Admiral Peter Daly, USN (Ret.) and chief executive officer of the U.S. Naval Institute, supported the book from day one. Special appreciation goes to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and all our supporters on and off the Yard. Our literary agent, Maryann Karinch, is a true patriot and savvy adviser who made us feel cared for and respected throughout this process.
At the front of the pack, we are honored to have earned a place on this book’s cover. We are indebted to our parents, friends, and other loved ones. They were patient during countless conference calls, writing road trips, and whiteboard strategy meetings. It was on the second floor of the Nimitz Library, in December 2010, that we decided to make this book a reality. The stories were too good, the passion too rich, and the vision too important. John Ennis’s creativity, Katherine Kranz’s analysis, and Graham Plaster’s poetic prose all brought the book to life. As for Joshua Welle, he was the navigator in chief, charting the book’s course from idea to bookstore. We wrote, edited, and labored together, classmates and teammates.
Thank you readers, who by picking up this book have expressed faith in the United States of America. We hope it helps you to better understand its modern military and inspires you to learn more about its veterans. Whether civilian or military, Americans must always stand together in service, promoting freedom and protecting democracy against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
READ MORE
ONLINE
Nearly one hundred stories were collected for In the Shadow of Greatness. The submissions printed in this bound volume were chosen because each best fit the thesis and contributed to fulfilling the goal of offering a variety of perspectives. The stories that do not appear in the print volume can be found online. To read the electronic submissions of the members of the USNA Class of 2002 listed below, please visit www.shadowofgreatness.com.
Joseph Achenbach
Theodore Achimasi
Patrick Alfonzo
Benjamin Drew
John Ennis
Susan Gormley
Bradley Harrison
Benjamin Heineike
Zachery Henry
Joseph Hooper
Derrick Hunt
David Bintliff Johnson, Jr.
Casey Kirkpatrick
Casandra Koistinen
Victor Lange
Ryan Long
George Messner
Stephanie Muskovac
Heather Honnette Myers
M. Alexis Wright Piet
Benjamin Foster and Melissa Rains
Jeffrey Raunig
Amy Jones Satrom
George Schmuke
Brandon Smith
Rebecca Smith
James Southerton
Timothy Steigelman
Marlon Terrell
Shevonne Wells
ABOUT THE
EDITORS
Joshua Welle became a surface warfare officer after commissioning and earned two master’s degrees from the University of Maryland in politics and business administration. He taught international relations at the Naval Academy, and was the special assistant to Adm. William Crowe, the 11th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A veteran of the Afghanistan War, Joshua served as an economic adviser to NATO. He is the president of the Class of 2002 and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
John Ennis is a former Navy lieutenant with service in two warships and a tour of duty as a Pentagon speechwriter and adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations. He transitioned out of the Navy to work in Lockheed Martin’s International Business Development Group. He is currently an account executive in IBM’s Software Group, working with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Katherine Kranz received wings of gold as an E-2C Hawkeye NFO upon graduating from flight school. She served with the VAW-113 Black Eagles, flying three deployments with the USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group. While ashore, she was a special assistant to the commandant back at the Naval Academy and later served in Afghanistan as a NATO Rule of Law Field Support Mission adviser and aide.
Graham Plaster served as a surface warfare officer and deployed to support Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Ashore, he was the assistant dean of students at the Naval War College in Newport, RI, and later transferred to be a foreign area officer. He most recently served as a liaison officer supporting U.S. military deployed to UN peacekeeping missions in Israel, Egypt, and Iraq.
The Naval Institute Press is the book-publishing arm of the U.S. Naval Institute, a private, nonprofit, membership society for sea service professionals and others who share an interest in naval and maritime affairs. Established in 1873 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where its offices remain today, the Naval Institute has members worldwide.
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