Veterans Day: Sam Kies '04 Returns to Campus
One of Brunswick’s own — Sam Kies ’04 — returned to campus on Veterans Day to address Upper School students about his six-year military service.
A former U.S. Army Infantry Officer and Rifle Platoon Leader, Kies served with distinction in various capacities throughout his tenure, most recently as a Brigade Logistics Officer at Fort Benning.
He recalled his first night on the job after being deployed to Iraq in 2010.
“Before I learned everyone’s name in my 40-man unit, we were rocketed,” Kies said. “All the sweat and tears of training took over at that point. But really, I relied on my more experienced men to get us through the situation.
“Later, after we had successfully found and secured a weapons cache, my Platoon Sergeant looked at me and said, ‘We’ve got you from here.’”
For Kies, that moment helped to define his military experience.
“We had to build a team and work together,” he said. “And everyone had to buy into our mission for us to accomplish our goals.”
Now studying for his M.B.A. at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Kies urged the ’Wick student body to develop that same sense of camaraderie among classmates, teammates, and friends.
He also encouraged the audience to understand the value of failure — and to seek mentors in life.
To close, Kies shared a photo of himself, along with a handful of his ’Wick classmates, after returning from Iraq in November 2010.
“This picture seems far removed from the military lifestyle,” Kies said. “But it actually has everything to do with it.
“I would give up my life for these guys.”
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