By Mark Adam
As people celebrated Veterans Day around the United States, one of Siena’s shining stars returned to campus for the 3rd annual Veterans Recognition Dinner.
Col. Denise (Fitzgerald) Lind ’82, a military judge in the Army JAG Corps, gave the keynote address at the dinner, which celebrates Siena’s veterans and ROTC cadets.
Lind was the presiding judge in the well-known WikiLeaks trial this year.
While on campus, she met with students from the Pre-Law program and Army ROTC Mohawk Battalion.
Sara Klock ’14, a political science major and pre-law student, appreciated meeting Lind because she is a high-ranking woman who has had an impressive law career. “It gives me hope for what I want to do in the future in knowing that there’s people like her out there,” Klock said.
Lind has served 28 years in the U.S. Army. She graduated from Siena College with a degree in political science and was commissioned in its ROTC program. Lind asked about each of the students’ law school plans and talked about some of her experiences.
“It’s humbling to be back here,” Lind said. “This is the Siena that I remember.”
The Veterans Recognition Dinner raises money for the Veteran and Cadet Endowed Fund, which provides support for returning vets who need financial help due to service-related issues. It also provides, when appropriate, extra funds to help recruit top high school and college students into ROTC by providing aid for room and board.
Professor of Military Science LTC Samantha Ross presented two students, Thomas Cramer ’14 and Christopher Armentano ’16, with awards for their military service and three Mohawk Battalion alumni were inducted into its new Wall of Fame: Congressman Christopher Gibson ’86, Major General Harold J. Greene and Chaplain (Major General) Donald Rutherford.
