Sewickley Academy Celebrates Veterans Day

The Lower School assembly opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the singing of the National Anthem. Head of Lower School Dr. Cricket Mikheev recognized the Academy’s own Captain Lori Yost for her service to our country as a member of the United States Navy Reserve over the past 27 years. Dr. Mikheev then introduced the speaker, Major Alison Thompson ’95. Major Thompson shared a video of her experience as a member of the first all-female combat flight crew, discussed her service in the armed forces, and answered questions from students after her presentation.

Major Thompson graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in criminal justice in 2000. The very same day she graduated from college, she was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force. She went to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas for combat systems officer training, and began her first assignment at Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia on September 10, 2001, one day before 9/11. After 9/11, she flew combat missions in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyszistan, Russia, Cyprus, and Turkey. In 2005, she left Robbins and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to do test flights on the KC-135. In 2010, Major Thompson left active duty and moved back to Pittsburgh where she joined the Air Force Reserve as a C-130 Combat Systems Officer at the 911th Air Reserve Base in Moon Township. She stopped flying in 2014 and is now the Executive Officer for the Operations Group Commander.

In all, Major Thompson has served in the armed forces for over 16 years; 10 years of active duty and six with the reserves. She has dedicated a big part of her life to serving our country and we are all very grateful for her for her service.

The Middle and Senior School assembly opened with remarks from Student Council President Ryan Brown, followed by the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” by the Senior School chorus and the Pledge of Allegiance. As a tradition, the story of the memorial plaque honoring eight of Sewickley Academy’s fallen men was explained to the audience.

Ryan then introduced speaker Anthony “Tony” Innamorato ’03. Tony is a 2003 graduate of Sewickley Academy who went on to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. After graduating with honors in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Tony continued his service with the United States Navy Special Operations Group as a bomb disposal technician. He served three combat tours of duty, mostly in the Middle East and Africa, during which he personally disarmed 31 IEDs in Afghanistan, earning him a Bronze Star for valor. He was qualified as a team leader and explosive ordnance disposal master technician trained in conventional, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. After separating from Naval Active Duty, Tony continued his education, earning his MBA from Warton Business School in 2014. He is currently employed as a consultant with McKinsey & Company in their Pittsburgh office.

Tony spoke about his personal definition of service. He believes service is giving a part of yourself to someone or something else, that service is a choice and not an obligation, and that there are many types of service. He told students, faculty, staff, and community members that he believes the pursuit of service can provide enrichment in life.

After Tony finished his remarks, Ryan introduced each of the veterans in attendance by calling his or her name, branch of service, and relationship to Sewickley Academy. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Sewickley Academy student body, faculty, and staff, we would like to sincerely thank you for your unselfish service to our country and for being here today.”

The bugler played taps while the victory bell was rung 11 times to signify the Armistice of November 11, 1918, “On the 11th hours of the 11th day of the 11th month, all the guns fell silent.”