A Memorial Day Tribute

Last month, I planned to post a Memorial Day entry on this blog noting the historical presence of the Georgetown ROTC unit on campus and the parallels to athletics in the development of society leaders. Then my computer crashed again and the following story (after the page jump) overwhelmed -- putting my posting on hold -- until now.

Back in the days when the Reverend Brian McGrath, SJ served the University from 1950 to 1970 as College Dean, Academic Vice President, and Administrative Vice President, he was justifiably proud of the ROTC unit on campus which was affiliated with the 352 Civil Affairs Command of the U.S. Army Reserves. The mission of civil affair commands is to help military commanders by working with civil authorities and civilian populations in the commander’s area of operations to lessen the impact of military operations on them during peace, contingency operations and declared war. The affiliation (but not the ROTC unit) was lost in the student unrest of the late Vietnam era. Still it was such a natural fit for a university like Georgetown to be linked with functions that include complex reconstruction efforts such as the military now faces in Iraq today.
Last month, I planned to post a Memorial Day entry on this blog noting the historical presence of the Georgetown ROTC unit on campus and the parallels to athletics in the development of society leaders. Then my computer crashed again and the following story overwhelmed -- putting my posting on hold -- until now.

Back in the days when the Reverend Brian McGrath, SJ served the University from 1950 to 1970 as College Dean, Academic Vice President, and Administrative Vice President, he was justifiably proud of the ROTC unit on campus which was affiliated with the 352 Civil Affairs Command of the U.S. Army Reserves. The mission of civil affair commands is to help military commanders by working with civil authorities and civilian populations in the commander’s area of operations to lessen the impact of military operations on them during peace, contingency operations and declared war. The affiliation (but not the ROTC unit) was lost in the student unrest of the late Vietnam era. Still it was such a natural fit for a university like Georgetown to be linked with functions that include complex reconstruction efforts such as the military now faces in Iraq today.

In the fall of 1971, a wide-eyed freshman from Chicago arrived on the Georgetown campus. With aspirations to play football on the Hilltop, he reported one week early to participate in the team's preseason practice. His name was Terry Barnich. Our paths crossed right away. I was a senior and one of his resident assistants that year on 4th Healy (then a first-year dormitory floor).

From the get-go, Terry was eager to soak up whatever he could experience at Georgetown. He was a talented athlete, a bright learner, and a Charlton Heston look-a-like. His interests ranged from politics to coeds to all things Chicago and extended to any new adventure. He especially enjoyed meeting people and was ever curious about what they thought and why.


    #23 Terry (center standing) in 1972 team photo
So it didn't take long before Terry discerned my own athletic passion for the sport of lacrosse. And it wasn't too hard to convince him that he ought to give it a try. He embraced the challenge as soon as the football season ended. Terry was a quick study, making up for his initial lack of stick skills with his persistent efforts, innate athleticism, and speed. By season's end, though still inexperienced, he was more than capable of getting onto the field.

I missed the next two year's of Terry's lacrosse development, but when I returned to Georgetown for law school following a tour in the U.S. Army, I rejoined the team as a grad assistant. Now in his final season, Terry was captain of the Hoya lax team (no surprise) and so improved that he earned the Corcoran Trophy as the team MVP.


    Team captain Terry (seated lower left) in 1975 team photo
I stayed in touch with Terry following his graduation. He would return to DC during summers from Fordham law school and he played with a bunch of fellow lax alums on the Georgetown summer lacrosse team. However, once he returned to Chicago for good, I typically only saw him once a year, when he would randomly show up at a Hoya home lacrosse contest. The last time I saw Terry may have been in 2005. I figured his life had gotten very busy as he continued his career in and out of business and state government.


It did not surprise me when I learned late last month that Terry has been in Iraq for the past two years, first as an adviser to the Ministry of Electricity, and then with the U.S. State Department as deputy director of the Iraq Transition Assistance Office in Baghdad. Still, why would someone put himself in harm's way at this point in his life?

A leader, a man of action, unafraid of the unknown, and eager for challenge, Terry saw an opportunity to serve and he pursued it. Too old to enlist in the military at age 54, he volunteered to work in a civilian capacity, pushing hard to help develop the sine qua non to stability throughout Iraq: electricity.

After extending his tour once, Terry was set to conclude his service in June. Tragically, he did not make it home alive. On Memorial Day, Terry died in Iraq when his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb blast. When his car went over the bomb, he was returning from an inspection of a waste water treatment plant under construction in Falluja.

A principled son of Georgetown, Terry remained true to himself to the end. He saw what was possible and he worked hard to make it happen. To the question "if not you, then who?", he answered the call.

We on the Hilltop will find the right occasion to celebrate Terry's life in the fall. Until then, Fr. McGrath, meet my friend, teammate, and true Hoya, Terry Barnich.

Hoya, Hoya Saxa!
Hoya, Hoya Georgetown!
Hoya Barnich! Barnich! Barnich!


Requiescat in pace.



ONLINE LINKS TO TERRY

A draft lottery story
June 2, 2004

Tour of Duty: NPRG’s Barnich Brings Telecom Expertise to Iraq
xchange
February 20, 2008

Terry Barnich, RIP
ILLINOIS REVIEW
May 26, 2009

Roadside Bomb In Iraq Kills 3 Americans
CBS World
May 26, 2009

Telecom consultant Terry Barnich killed in Iraq
TELEPHONY ONLINE
May 26, 2009

Terry Barnich, RIP. Valiant Defender of Peace
Chicago Daily Observer
May 26, 2009

Memories of Terry Barnich
TELEPHONY ONLINE
May 26, 2009

Godspeed Terry Barnich
Blackfive Media
May 27, 2009

Terry Barnich is Contractor Killed in Iraq
MAGGIE'S NOTEBOOK
Monday, June 8, 2009

Farewell - A Tribute to Terry Barnich
PIPELINE
Vol 6 Issue 1



PRINT MEDIA LINKS

State Dept. worker, long known in Ill. politics, dies in Iraq
USA TODAY
May 26, 2009

Official Is Among 3 Americans Killed By Bomb in Iraq
Washington Post
May 26, 2009

Killed in Iraq, contractor 'leaves a lasting legacy'
The Washington Times
June 7, 2009