Dozens of students and military veterans joined together for breakfast Nov. 8 at Saint Mark’s High School to take part in the school’s annual Veterans Day observation.
Zachary Bagdon, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who is on the board of directors of “Beds4Vets,” was keynote speaker. He shared his experiences with students and other veterans. Bagdon, a retired financier, has worked at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Lehman Brothers and has taught at Yale University and elsewhere.
Beds4Vets helps veterans and their families permanently transition from homelessness by providing the basic furnishings to transform an empty apartment into a home.
Veterans, active military members and their families, were part of the free breakfast.
Donations were accepted to support the school’s Cpl. Stephen M. McGowan Fund. McGowan was a 1996 graduate of Saint Mark’s who was killed in Iraq in 2005 while serving in the Army. The fund provides tuition assistance for children of active-duty military and veterans attending Saint Mark’s.
The school later in the day hosted the Cpl. Stephen M. McGowan 20K Challenge. The trek is held on the school track and raises money for the McGowan Fund.
School president and U.S. Army veteran Tom Fertal signaled the start of the event and participated by carrying a 20-pound pack for 20 kilometers or 50 laps around the track, a total of 12.4 miles.
