Military cadets say Gillmor unwavering in his sense of duty (from the Toledo Blade)
Press Office December 23rd, 2007
Military cadets say Gillmor unwavering in his sense of duty‘He took care of us,’ appointee says
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071223/NEWS17/712230344
December 23, 2007
From the Toledo Blade
By JENNIFER FEEHAN
As a freshman last year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, James McKinney will never forget the care packages that showed up at his door just when he needed a boost.
Microwave popcorn, cookies, and chocolate would arrive at crucial times - not from Mom and Dad, but courtesy of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor (R., Tiffin).
“Life isn’t very fun when you’re a freshman,” Mr. McKinney, 20, of Bowling Green recalled. “A bunch of the other cadets didn’t get them from their senators or congressmen, so I shared the wealth.”
With Mr. Gillmor’s unexpected death Sept. 5 from a fall down the steps of his Arlington, Va., townhouse, many of the cadets and midshipmen from northwest Ohio who were nominated to the nation’s service academies by Mr. Gillmor felt like they’d lost a supporter and a friend.
Last night, at the military service academy ball held at Nazareth Hall, they paid tribute to the late congressman, who some say was responsible for more academy appointments during his 19 years in Washington than any other member of Congress.
“When you are depressed at school, and yes it happens quite frequently, something from home can always hit the spot,” Kiel Towns of Perrysburg, a senior at West Point, said in a presentation to Mr. Gillmor’s wife, Karen. “Your husband did that for us. Every year, he took care of us, and let us know that we were being thought of. He did not have to do that. I would have voted for him anyhow.”
In addition to the memorable goodie boxes, Mr. Gillmor hosted a reception each December where nominees were introduced and encouraged to talk with area students who already were attending the prestigious academies. Mr. Gillmor’s staff also would check on cadets through the school year, take them out to breakfast, and make sure they were all right.
Mark Wellman, Mr. Gillmor’s former chief of staff, said working with students before - and after - their appointments was one of the favorite roles of the congressman and his staff.
“You spend so much of your time helping people who are having trouble and for a few hours of the year you get to deal with the best and the brightest,” Mr. Wellman said. “When the congressman would pick up the phone and call someone to tell them they’d been appointed to West Point or Annapolis, it really changed their lives.
“It’s a lot of work, but the really fun part is watching them develop as young officers and go off and serve their country. We didn’t want to give them up once they got there.”
Mr. Gillmor did not attend one of the academies but served as an Air Force judge advocate during the Vietnam War.
“As an Air Force veteran, he knew firsthand how important it was to have a strong military,” said Brad Mascho, another former staff member. “Also, he felt it was a lasting legacy he could leave behind. For 19 years he got to [nominate] some of our best students to the service academies and follow their careers through to the end … He knew it truly was going to change their lives.”
Each senator and representative can have five appointees from their district attending the service academies at a time. Whenever one of his or her appointees graduates or resigns, the congressman may nominate 10 students to fill the spot.
Mr. Wellman said Mr. Gillmor was able to fill many more vacancies at the academies by having a slate of qualified nominees in place that the academies could choose from when there were more openings than appointments or if some members of Congress did not fill all of their slots. A couple of years, he said, Mr. Gillmor’s office was able to get 9 of its 10 nominees into the academies.
“At one point, we had 24 cadets at West Point. That was our high mark,” Mr. Wellman said.
Mrs. Gillmor said her husband set up a service academy board made up of people from all walks of life from across the district that would interview applicants for the academies. The board would then make recommendations to Mr. Gillmor.
“He always said that growing up in a small town such as he did, he believed, allowed him to really develop his leadership skills because there was always room on the basketball team. There was always room in student government, and there was so much personal attention for the students,” she said. “Of course the 5th Congressional District primarily is small towns and many of these students might not have a college education otherwise, but they very much have the commitment and dedication to go through this not only rigorous academic training but rigorous physical conditioning and make the decision to serve their country.”
Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown formerly worked in Mr. Gillmor’s district office and later served on the service academy board.
“It was really amazing to see a member of Congress take the process so seriously,” Mr. Brown said. “I think he just cared about the youth and giving them a fair and ample shot at attending one of the nation’s military academies. You would hear the term, these are the leaders of tomorrow, but they were, in his eyes, the leaders of today.”
Bob Latta, who was elected to complete Mr. Gillmor’s term, said he plans to carry on his predecessor’s commitment.
“It’s very important because those are your future military leaders in this country,” Mr. Latta said. “When you look at the investment that we put into each cadet or midshipman, it’s a lot of dollars. We want to make sure we have the best and brightest attending the academies, and in my opinion, it’s probably the greatest education in the United States.”
