The Few, The Proud, and the Top of the Class

How do you prepare to lead the most elite military force in the world? How about starting with a BA in Liberal Arts from Holy Cross College?

“It’s definitely an advantage,” said Chris Castagnetti ’08, who graduated among the top 16 Officers in his class of 886 officer candidates this summer at the Marine Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. “I think the degree gave me an edge because I wasn’t a specialist in one subject,” he told Connections in a recent interview. “At Quantico, the criteria they use to judge you is 50% leadership, 25% academics, and 25% physical fitness. While I wasn’t tops in any one area, being well-rounded definitely made a difference.”

“At Holy Cross, you take philosophy and theology classes where you learn about morality and ethics. History and business helps with strategy. The math and science helps with logic and in reading charts and orienteering, while the literature and psychology helps you understand people and their motivation.”

Chris received the Leadership Award from Officer Candidates School that included a certificate and a personalized, engraved Mameluke Sword. The stated mission of the Marine Corp Officer Training Program is to screen candidates to make sure they have the “moral, intellectual, and physical qualities” to be an officer. That does sound similar to Holy Cross College’s holistic educational philosophy of training the “mind, body and spirit.” The Marine commissioning process also looks for individuals who “think tactically, act with courage, and lead with confidence.” At Holy Cross, we expect graduates to gain “the competence to see, and the courage to act.”

Quantico provides one of the most intense training programs in existence which Chris prepared for through a dedicated self-training program that included participating in Holy Cross club Lacrosse, flag football, running and weight lifting as well as an occasional ultimate fighting contest in South Bend.

“Chris was a soft-spoken guy,” said Athletic Director Nathan Walker, “but he was always a leader on the Lacrosse field. He was one of those guys who naturally got the respect of other people by working harder than anyone else.”

“I am so proud of Chris, I could cry,” said Tina Holland, PhD, Senior Vice President, a Naval Academy graduate and Marine (former officer) herself. “Chris is exactly what you look for in an officer. He is smart, dedicated, disciplined, and highly ethical—or as they say in the Corps, he has ‘Honor, Courage, and Commitment.’ He is exactly the kind of person you want leading others into dangerous situations. I am extremely fortunate to have shared in his experience here and look forward to following his career.”