Answering the Call: Veterans Day Speaker Inspires the Community

"Being a veteran means rising above your feelings and what you think and making that sacrifice to say, 'I will answer the call' no matter who needs the help." 

Marilena originally planned to pursue a career as an international corporate lawyer and began studying law in college. After witnessing the tragedy of 9/11 in her hometown of New York City, she was driven to serve. “One day, I decided to pull into an army recruiting office, and the first question was, ‘Can we help you? Are you lost?’ I said, ‘No, I want to join the army,’ and his second question was, ‘Why?’” 

Though she was initially told that women couldn’t serve as counterintelligence agents, Marilena persevered and specialized in counterintelligence, which put her on the front lines while deployed. “At the time I graduated as a counterintelligence agent, I was one of 60 women in the country. Male soldiers were not allowed to touch Muslim women, so they split us up between Iraq and Afghanistan. Thirty of us went to Afghanistan, 30 of us went to Iraq, and I was in Iraq.” 

While women were required to stay on the military base, agents (who were not defined by gender) could be sent beyond the wire. Marilena and another female agent went to Al Diwaniyah, Iraq. “I was allowed to talk to the females, I was allowed to search, and we were able to get a lot of information that way. There were a lot of females who wanted to tell us what was going on… and because of that, there was a bounty on my head.” Most American female agents who served in the area were targeted, and this resulted in Marilena’s convoy being attacked. “My lieutenant passed away… but I lived, and now I know that you have to make every single day count.”

As she spoke about what defines a veteran, the theme of community and shared experience came through — which she likened to students’ experience at Foxcroft. “Being part of Foxcroft is like being a veteran. You basically walk in the first day and you have no idea what you’re in for, and you’re surrounded by strangers… By the time you get to your senior year, you’re looking at the freshman in your life thinking ‘It’s going to be a long first month, but it’s going to be worth it.’” The veteran community has endured together and shared many different experiences than the Foxcroft community, but the connection and support felt among both groups is much the same.

While encouraging students to show their appreciation for veterans — “If you see a veteran on the street, say 'thank you for your service.' It means the world to them.” — Marilena also reflected on ways students can be involved and impact the world around them. "Be part of something bigger. Wake up, do it once a year, and just say, 'What can I do? How can I help someone today?' That is part of being in the veteran community. That's what it's all about. It's a call for service, a call to be part of something bigger, and to recognize that the world is small — we have a small world — but it's also bigger than just us in this room, bigger than our recent 'right now' today. So wake up tomorrow, wake up next week, wake up next year, and say, 'How can I be part of the solution? Where is something needed that I can provide?'"

The entire community is grateful to Marilena Redell for sharing her experience in honor of Veterans Day. To all those who have served, we thank you for your service!