LT. COLONEL TOM OAKLEY ’92 VISITS CATHEDRAL BY MEGAN BROWN
On March 28, 2018, Cathedral alum and Lt. Colonel in the United States Army Tom Oakley paid a visit to students during morning Chapel service. Following an invitation from sixth and seventh graders, Mr. Oakley returned to his alma mater with his mother and his two children. Mr. Oakley currently lives in New York.
After studying at Cathedral, Tom Oakley went on to graduate from University High School and then the United States Military Academy, more commonly known as West Point. Following his graduation from West Point, Mr. Oakley began his career in the army, first working in tanks and commanding a company of soldiers. He then attended law school where he became a Judge Advocate General (JAG) attorney. Mr. Oakley has worked as both a prosecutor and a defense counsel for soldiers facing disciplinary charges. Mr. Oakley is now preparing to begin a teaching position at West Point. Upon his visit to the School, Mr. Oakley was a guest speaker at morning Chapel, met with the sixth-and seventh-grade students who had written to him as part of their Day of Service, and visited both sections of Mr. Mundy’s eighth-grade history class. During his Chapel speech, Mr. Oakley shared some of the differ- ences between the world of his time at Cathedral and the world now. Students marveled to hear that neither micro- waves or cell phones existed when Mr. Oakley was a student at Cathedral.
Mr. Oakley thanked the boys for the letters he received, and explained to them that he appreciated their gratitude for his service. He reminded students that being in the military is not the only way to serve. There are opportunities for service at church, in the public sector, and in everyday life– through service to others around you. Mr. Oakley also explained his take on the School’s motto: “Minds, Hearts, Hands, Voices.” “This place [Cathedral] is all about preparing your minds, hearts, hands, and voices. When you prepare your mind, you have a keen understanding of what needs to be done someday. For your hearts, it’s when you act in service; it’s preparing your heart to make sure that you’re doing [things] the right way [and] that you’re doing it for the right reasons. For your hands, you’ve got to prepare your hands to do what needs to be done; you’re ready, you’ve got the skills, you have that preparedness. And your voices: You heard singing a couple of minutes ago, but maybe [it’s] also about being able to say what needs to be said. Maybe [it’s] speaking for somebody else who can’t speak for themselves.”
Tom Oakley’s Cathedral School Photo
Lieutenant Colonel Insignia
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