The Erik S. Kristensen Memorial Lecture Series St. John's College, Annapolis
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THE ERIK S. KRISTENSEN MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2016 SETH CROPSEY,gfvvdfv AUTHOR AND ST. JOHN’S ALUMNUS, TO THE ERIK S. KRISTENSEN MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES DELIVER THE 2016 ERIK S. KRISTENSEN MEMORIAL LECTURE The Erik S. Kristensen Lecture Series is held once a year at St. John’s College, st Annapolis MD to honor the memory of this alumnus of St. Johns & the Naval Seth Cropsey will deliver the lecture, Patriotism in the 21 Century, at 8pmWednesday, April 13th 2016 in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium Academy. The lectures deal with one or more of the following subjects: at St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD. The lecture is free and open to Civil-military relations. the public. Great works of military or naval history or literary works depicting Seth Cropsey is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and director military or naval figures and events of Hudson’s Center for American Seapower. Cropsey specializes in national and maritime strategy and U.S. policy in Asia and the Middle The vital importance of naval and military power for our nation in East. He served as Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy where he was peacetime and in war. responsible for maritime strategy, defense reorganization, naval The role of the liberal arts in professional military education. education, and special operations. Mr. Cropsey later served as Scott Buchanan, one of the founders of the Great Books Program at St. John’s Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special College, Annapolis, wrote extensively about the role of the liberal arts in informing Operations. He was confirmed by the Senate as director of the United States government’s International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and the professions of Divinity, Law and Medicine. These timeless and essential served in this position from November 2002 until January 2005 where professions were for him, vital endeavors to which mankind applies the civilizing he initiated television service to Iran, increased resources for disciplines of the traditional liberal arts. It can be argued that Naval and Military broadcasting to the Middle East, and consolidated information Science deal with equally undying aspects of human nature and endeavor. Yet, in technology for U.S. government international broadcasting. Cropsey the years since Vietnam, the understanding of these subjects has declined in the served as a naval officer from 1985 to 2004. academic world, and it is rightly said that the loneliest professor on a campus is the Before his most recent government position Mr. Cropsey was Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. In 1994, military historian. Intelligent, sophisticated students and teachers have little he became the first department chairman at the George C. Marshall familiarity with the complexities of the “military option” and often take for granted European Center for Security Studies located in Germany. He was the security that military and naval power provides. This lecture series contributes responsible for curriculum development and taught in the college. He to public and academic discourse on civil-military issues before an audience from two has lectured at Oxford, Boston College, St. Johns College, Pepperdine, historic schools. This is especially important now that less than one percent of defense universities of Central Europe’s former Soviet Bloc states, the American citizens serve in the Armed Services and veterans serving in Congress are at University of Cluj (Romania), and other academic institutions. Prior to his position as Distinguished Professor at the Marshall Center, a historic low. Mr. Cropsey was director of the Asian Studies Center in Washington. Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen, USN, was born 15 March 1972. He From 1982 to 1984, he served as director of policy at the Voice of attended Gonzaga College High School and Phillips Andover Academy. Graduating America where he instituted VOA's daily editorials and founded Radio with honors from the United States Naval Academy in 1995, he served as a Surface Marti’s research service. He began his career writing on foreign policy, Warfare Officer. He began teaching English at the United States Naval Academy in defense, and public policy issues for The Public Interest and as a 1999 while attending the Graduate Institute at St. John's College in Annapolis, reporter for Fortune magazine. Mr. Cropsey is chairman and founder of the Adobe Foundation, a humanitarian organization that supports Maryland. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in orphaned Romanian children as it seeks to encourage the growth of Coronado, California, where he graduated with BUD/S class 233. From there he civil society in Central Europe. He is the author of over 100 published reported for duty at SEAL Team EIGHT. He deployed as a Task Unit Commander articles for such journals as The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street at SEAL Team TEN to Afghanistan to support the Naval Special Warfare Journal, and Commentary. In 2013 Overlook Press of New York community's prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism. published his book Mayday, which examines the development and On June 28, 2005, LCDR Kristensen led a daring mission to rescue a four- current state of American sea power. man SEAL reconnaissance squad engaged in a fierce firefight with overwhelming Taliban forces in rugged 10,000 foot mountains. LCDR Kristensen, seven other SEALs, and eight Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment aviators died when their MH-47D Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled KRISTENSEN MEMORIAL LECTURES AVAILABLE ON ST. JOHN’S LIBRARY WEBSITE grenade. LT Michael Murphy, Petty Officers Matthew Axelson, Danny Dietz and Marcus Luttrell fought on courageously, against overwhelming Taliban forces. Only Petty Officer Luttrell survived. The 2007 book and 2013 film Lone Survivor tell their A recording of prior lectures can be listened to at: story. http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/ He had a great love of the arts and literature. He spoke French, and planned to 2015 Jonathan Shay, Homer on Military Leadership study at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris after his tour in Afghanistan as an 2014 Bing West, Lessons from a Decade of Frustrating War Olmstead Scholar. The program allows a select few service members to study abroad 2013 Ralph Peters, The Price of Historical Illiteracy: Wishful Thinking and the for two years. He is survived by his father Edward K. Kristensen, RADM, USN Death of Strategy (Ret.) and his mother Suzanne Kristensen of Washington, D.C. The lecture series was founded in 2013 by LT Michael A. Zampella USN, a Navy Reserve officer and a 1992 graduate of St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD. All inquiries concerning the lecture should be directed to him at [email protected] Page | 1 THE ERIK S. KRISTENSEN MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2016 DONATE YOUR TAX DEDUCTABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE KRISTENSEN LECTURE FUND By Check: Mail to: St. John’s College Advancement Gifts PO Box 37597 Baltimore, MD 21297-3597 Please place Kristensen Lecture Restricted Fund in the memo of the check. By Credit Card: You can make a gift online at: http://www.sjc.edu/ 1) Click on “Giving” 2) Click on “Annapolis Campus” 3) Click on “Designation” 4) Click on “Other” and type Kristensen Lecture Restricted Fund in the comment box. 8TH ANNUAL ERIK S. KRISTENSEN EYE STREET KLASSIC GOLF OUTING, MAY 6TH 2016 The Erik S. Kristensen Eye Street Klassic was organized by family and friends of Gonzaga alumnus LCDR Kristensen. They invite golfers, volunteers, sponsors, family and friends to celebrate Erik's life and assist the sons of active duty military personnel to afford a Gonzaga education. More information can be found at: http://kristensenklassic.com/ Only the dead have seen the end of war To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace Page | 2 .