Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony
Thank you to those who joined us for our annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony.
While Memorial Day has come to be known as the unofficial start of summer, it is important for us to remember the true meaning of the day. Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor all the men and women who have lost their lives in service to our country, as well as the families they left behind.
The keynote message was provided by Secretary Patrick J. Murphy, America’s first Iraq War Veteran elected to the U.S. Congress and the 32nd Under Secretary of the U.S. Army. He shared a powerful message about the importance of paying tribute to our fallen soldiers and their families, as well as how you can honor their legacy of service.
Secretary Patrick J. Murphy is a Vetrepreneur, Board Chairman & Change Agent as the Leading Voice of the 9/11 Generation. America’s first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. Congress & the 32nd Under Secretary of the US Army, he is now a Wharton Business School Lecturer, Emmy award-winning producer, and a Senior Managing Director at Ankura, one of the top management consulting companies in the world. Passionate about entrepreneurship, he has invested tens of millions directly to his fellow Vetrepreneurs through Stony Lonesome Capital, a boutique venture capital firm investing in 49 Veteran-owned companies, including Work Merk, the winning-habits company he co-founded. Secretary Murphy serves on several corporate and non-profit boards to include: BAE Systems, Director; Oracle Cerner Health, Chairman Government Advisory; and several other privately-held companies.
As the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army and Acting Secretary, he led the management and operation of the Army—a Fortune 2-sized organization & the Nation’s second largest employer with over 1.3 million Soliders & civilians, with a budget of $148+ billion. His focus transforming a more innovative and diverse workforce led to an expansion of the Soldier for Life initiative, saving the Army $340 million in 2016 in UCX and reaching recruitment goals for the first time in five years with over 120K ‘Gen Z’ Americans hired, of which 42% were People of Color & the most diverse graduating class in West Point history. Secretary Murphy developed unprecedented public-private partnerships generating over $250 million in taxpayer savings and opening Army Air Force Exchange department stores to all 18 million veterans for online shopping, expanding their reach beyond their 4K brick & mortar stores & increasing revenue to over $7.5 billion.
A world class communicator, he is the founder of an Emmy & CLIO award-winning strategic engagement & film production company, Taking the Hill LLC, specializing in gritty military & veteran projects of his 9/11 Generation. Television & film projects produced include: ‘Warrior Class’ (TBD, 2023); ‘Cherry’ (Apple/Russo Brothers, 2021); ‘Thank You For Your Service’ (Dreamworks/Universal, 2017); ‘Side by Side’ (NBC, 2020) & host/executive producer for ‘Taking The Hill’ (NBC 2011–2015) & ‘The Triumph Games’ (CBS Sports, 2015–2016). He authored the book “Taking the Hill” (Henry Holt, 2008).
