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Alumni in the Military

 

This World War II photo was taken on Iwo Jima in 1945 during the invasion. The two young men receiving Communion are brothers and graduates of U of D Jesuit. George King ’38 (center) had just arrived on the island and learned his brother, William King ’37 (left), was only a few miles away near the front lines. Just as they met, a priest came to distribute Communion to the fighters. They asked to receive together. The two brothers returned home safely after the war. However, two other young alumni from the class of 1940 were killed in the Iwo Jima battle. More than 600 U of D Jesuit grads served in WW II, 42 of them lost their lives. We pray for all who died fighting for our country.

Military Alumni photo

Alumni who Serve(d) in Military

Our alumni have served our nation in the military for more than a century. Records were not kept of U of D Jesuit alumni in Military Service between the years of 1877 and 1923, with the exception of one alumnus from the class of 1909 who served in World War I. Our records begin with service in World War II and includes alumni information gathered from Gesu Church in Detroit, which published a monthly newsletter during the World War II years. We have copies of their newsletters from April 1944 to November 1945 in our archives - a treasure trove of information.

Questions?

James Moceri

Director of Alumni Relations

 

 

All alumni are asked to share their U.S. Military service information with The High. Contact us and help preserve a piece of U of D Jesuit history. Please email Jim Moceri, Alumni Relations Director, at alumni@uofdjesuit.org Please include the following information:

  • Name
  • Year you graduated from U of D Jesuit
  • Branch of military service
  • Rank
  • Status: Active, Reserves, Veteran or Retired
  • Are you currently deployed?
  • Other information about your military experience.