As Marines Prepare to Celebrate 250years of service to our Nation, Marine Corps University Foundation announces eight finalists for first of its kind national award honoring service and education
QUANTICO, VA (March 13, 2025) – The Marine Corps University Foundation today announced eight outstanding finalists, who hail from communities from California to New York, for its inaugural General Alfred M. Gray Jr. National Award for Service and Education, which is timed with the 250th Birthday of the Marine Corps this year.
The finalists, some still serving in the Marine Corps and others who have returned to civilian life, work with veterans struggling with mental health issues and homelessness, provide pathways to higher education and have helped modernize Marine Corps training.
They were chosen from nearly 30 national candidates and nominated by colleagues, fellow Marines and family members. A selection committee, made up of renowned current and retired Marines and others, had the task of selecting the award recipient. That person will be announced on March 29 outside Washington, D.C. at the Annual Semper Fidelis Award Dinner, sponsored by the Marine Corps University Foundation (MCUF).
Named after General Alfred M. Gray Jr., USMC (Ret), the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps and founder of Marine Corps University, the award recognizes a Marine currently serving or who previously honorably served and has built on their Marine experience to make a difference in education or community service over a period of time.
Mr. Andrew Ammerman, President and CEO of MCUF, said he is struck by the diverse accomplishments of the finalists. He added that it is fitting to honor this group as the Marine Corps readies to celebrate 250 years.
“Each of these nominees attributes their remarkable achievements to the leadership, ingenuity, and unwavering determination they learned while serving in the Marine Corps,” Ammerman said. “Together, their dedication to education and community service has had a positive impact on communities across America, making the Marine Corps University Foundation proud to honor them.”
General Gray, who died in March 2024, was a Marine Corps Four-Star General, revered both while on active duty and in retirement. During his tenure as Commandant, he emphasized the importance of professional military education for his Marines and supported the Marine Corps University Foundation. The Foundation supports the Marine Corps University’s world-class, life-saving professional military education, reaching over 80,000 leaders and warfighters annually.
The eight General Al Gray Award finalists are:
- Mr. Brett D’Alessandro of Jersey City, New Jersey, served six years in the Marine Corps and returned home after a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan, struggling to determine his next steps in civilian life. He also began dealing with what he later recognized as PTSD. Because of a chance meeting with a homeless veteran, Brett started Backpacks for Life, dedicated to serving homeless and at-risk veterans by distributing backpacks filled with critical supplies. Mentorship is also a key part of the program, which has personally helped him heal, along with countless others. The organization has distributed nearly 12,000 backpacks in 36 states and has worked one-on-one with 1,000 veterans. Brett once met General Gray who encouraged him to continue this important work.
“It was a lot returning home, I saw some Marines committing suicide and I wanted to do something,” he said. “Through Backpacks for Life I found my purpose, which is caring for other people, other veterans.”
- LtCol David Dixon of Arlington, Virginia, is the bestselling author of Goodnight, Marines – a children’s book that describes the positive attributes of being a Marine. David was awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, six Strike/Flight Air Medals, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and the George W. Bush Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his work on hurricane disaster relief. He serves as a director on the board of Headstrong and Ready, which has provided nearly 3,000 mental health therapy sessions to veterans and their families.
“Next to being a father, becoming a Marine is the greatest honor of my life,” said David. “It is a privilege to serve my country by wearing the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. I have learned that true leadership is putting others first and focusing on the needs of a team.”
- Mr. John Keenan of Floral Park (Long Island), New York, leads the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. During his time with the organization, it has expanded the educational support to the children of fallen Marines and federal law enforcement agents and directed over $3 million in scholarship and other aid a year for the last 10 years. Jon also volunteers as a guide at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in New York City. He says he does this to honor all fallen members of the military.
Jon met General Gray several times and says he was an incredible presence. He explained that when General Gray spoke, everyone in a room was ready to reenlist.
Regarding his volunteer work: “It’s a question of giving back,” he said. “Many of us never really leave behind being a Marine and everything it stands for.”
- GySgt Chase McGrorty-Hunter of Oceanside, California, has led groundbreaking efforts to integrate wargaming into the enlisted Marine’s educational curriculum, which has significantly enhanced tactical and strategic training. Chase was hand-selected to help plan and execute a first-of-its-kind joint Corporals’ Course of the future, which served five different military branches. Because of his known expertise, he was recruited to develop and lead a three-day crisis simulation and wargame. In his spare time, he writes poetry and is working on a novel related to the Marine Corps. He also collects Marine Corps memorabilia, including items that belonged to General Gray.
“I get a great sense of pride saying I am a United States Marine, and I like to think I am giving back to the Marines through my educational efforts.”
- Mr. Ryan Pavel of Chicago, Illinois serves as the Warrior-Scholar Project’s chief executive officer and holds a deeply held conviction that enlisted veterans have unlimited potential to leverage military service into an enormous impact in higher education and beyond. His work has a personal connection. At age 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps after he was not accepted to the college he expected to attend. He became an Arabic translator and served two non-combat deployments to Iraq. In 2023, he was selected for the inaugural cohort of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA, a nonpartisan leadership development program that seeks to inspire, empower and connect emerging leaders across the country. Ryan also serves as vice president of partnerships of the Veterans Leadership Council, which is connected to The George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Higher Education Task Force.
“I realize that being a veteran is a big part of who I am,” he said, “and I am fortunate to be able to connect that with my deep passion for education.”
- Mr. Edward Roski Jr. of City of Industry, California, is CEO of Majestic Realty Co. He was wounded twice in a major battle in Vietnam during his Marine Corps service. He was the recipient of a Bronze Star and was decorated for bravery with two Purple Hearts. In 2007, Ed became a founder of the Land of the Free Foundation to support war veterans and families, and he has contributed more than $10 million to its efforts. In 2017, he earned the Circle of Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. Over the last 25 years, he also has funded eight reunions for the men with whom he served in Vietnam. These reunions aim to build camaraderie, provide therapy and remember comrades who are no longer with us. He has said that one of the goals of the foundation is to make sure veterans know they are not alone.
- Mr. Kevin Schmiegel, of Arlington, VA, retired from the Marine Corps in 2009 and since then has relentlessly pursued his passion of strengthening communities and bridging the civilian-service divide. He founded Hiring Our Heroes, which has helped more than 600,000 veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment and was a major factor in reducing veteran unemployment from over 10% [and over 20% for veterans under 25] to today’s figure of less than 4%. After the success of Hiring Our Heroes, Kevin continued his passion for service, leading two other national nonprofits and subsequently founding ZeroMils where he is focuses on creating military thriving cultures and communities.
“During the very first hiring event we did in Chicago on March 24, 2011, a young Marine sergeant who had been unemployed since leaving the Marine Corps in 2010 came up to me and said ‘Sir, you changed my life today. I got a job.’ What that Marine veteran didn’t realize is he changed my life that day.”
- LtCol Thomas Schueman of Quantico, Virginia, is concerned about veteran mental health issues and co-founded Patrol Base Abbate located in Montana. It is a fast-growing organization that helps veterans and military members cope with personal issues. Tom was motivated to start the program by the high veteran suicide rate. The impact of Patrol Base Abbate across all the service branches has been tremendous. After five years, the organization has touched 10,000 lives and served 1,000 veterans at the base camp.
“Losing so many Marines on the home front made me feel like I had a duty to do something,” he said.
Notably, Tom also wrote the book Always Faithful, sharing his mission to evacuate his Afghan interpreter from Kabul. His story has been featured on Good Morning America and in The New York Times.
Judges for the General Al Gray Award:
- Ms. Cristin Bartter – Vice President of marketing and communications at the Gary Sinise Foundation
- Mr. Timothy Day – Founder of Bar-S Foods Co. and the Timothy T. Day Foundation, which assists veterans
- Lt Gen George Flynn (Ret.) – Distinguished Marine and former Aide de Camp to General Gray
- Dr. Megan Hennessey – Provost of Marine Corps University
- Dr. Matt Jones — Professor of Practice in Joint Warfare at the Marine Corps War College and MCUF Board Member
- Mr. Don Knauss – Former CEO of Clorox and MCUF Board Member
- Col John Kopka (Ret.) – Vietnam Silver Star recipient who was a commander in Vietnam
- Sgt Major Tom Sowers – Institute and Corps Sergeant Major at the Virginia Military Institute
- Mr. Guido Zucconi – Manager of government affairs at the Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Along with the award, the Foundation is kicking off a historic campaign to raise awareness and funds for the University. The goal is to raise $25 million as a tribute to the Marine Corps’ 250 years of active service.
The Foundation is the only nonprofit organization that relies on private-sector funding and is dedicated to supporting the ever-changing and pressing educational needs of active-duty Marines across the globe. The Foundation’s work ranges from financial support for professional military education programs for operational units to the recruitment of leading experts to educate Marines in Quantico and much more.
The University welcomes students from all branches of the United States Armed Services, civilian interagency partners and international military officers.
To learn more about the General Alfred M. Gray Jr. National Award for Service and Education,
visit www.MCUFoundation.org. To learn more about the Semper Fidelis Dinner, click here.
