Coming home: Craig Mullaney speaks at alma mater

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WARWICK — When Craig Mullaney returned to Bishop Hendricken High School last Thursday, his adventurous journey had taken him full circle and he was home.

Mullaney, who grew up in a blue-collar, hardworking Irish family in North Kingstown, excelled under the tutelage of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at Hendricken, where he was a member of the Class of 1996. Drawn to by the physical and intellectual rigors of West Point, he graduated second in his class, before becoming a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University and an airborne ranger.

Now a civilian, Mullaney’s latest achievement is a new book, “The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education” (Penguin, 2009) in which he offers an interesting inside look at the development of an American soldier. The book, which recently was ranked tenth on a recent New York Times bestseller’s list, presents a plebe’s eye view of West Point, before highlighting the character-building ordeal of sleep deprivation and calorie restriction at Army Ranger School.

In 2003, Mullaney faced the challenge of taking all he had learned in the classroom, beginning at Bishop Hendricken through Ranger school in one unforgiving minute, when as a captain in the U.S. Army, he and his platoon were caught in deadly firefight on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. During the battle, a message came over the radio that the platoon had sustained a casualty. One of the soldiers, a 19 year-old man from Massachusetts, had been killed in action.

"Over the radio I heard O'Neil was K.I.A.," said Mullaney. "An acronym with a deep significance that meant a 19 year-old from Haverhill, Mass., the same age as my brother, with the same blue eyes, was dead."

While Mullaney’s education and training had prepared him for that crucial moment, nothing matched the reality of war and cruelty of death that he had to quickly surmount as he effectively lead his men into danger.

During the visit to his alma mater, Mullaney addressed a large assembly of Hendricken students, staff and faculty, as well as members of his family, classmates and members of veterans’ groups who were invited for the occasion.

“Two things I learned here — ‘True knowledge is better than all things’ and I learned to be curious,” Mullaney told the audience. He added that his education at Bishop Hendricken High School also instilled in him the importance of service.

"When the enthusiasm wears down and it’s no longer about adrenaline and adventure, it becomes about the guy to your left and the guy to your right and loving them beyond your own concern," said Mullaney.

Mullaney explained how ordinary heroism is in combat. He told the audience that only a few get the recognition for it, but that it is impossible not to see it in everyone.

"There's not enough medals to go around," Mullaney told the audience. Though, it is those who have walked through the hallways of Hendricken who consider Mullaney to be a hero.

A student raised his hand and asked Mullaney what advice he could share with today's young soldiers preparing to deploy. Other than to drink lots of water and to remember the purpose of why you are there, Mullaney explained that even though you are away from home it is imperative to bring some of it with you.

"It helps you get through the dark days," said Mullaney.

One of the guests at the talk was soldier’s mother. Ellen Mullaney, a parishioner of St. Bernard Church, North Kingstown, and a nurse at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence.

“I think it’s nice that he can come back here for the young men,” she said. She described her son as being “very serious and very intense” when he attended Bishop Hendricken.

“He was always fairly competitive,” Ellen Mullaney continued. “He was very curious about life. We talked a lot. We had a lot of conversations.”

During a book signing that followed the talk, the now popular author was surprised to discover his first grade teacher, Dianne Towne, standing in line.

“He was cute, funny and never gave me a minute’s worth of trouble,” she recalled, adding that she taught Mullaney at the Wickford Elementary School.

“I love him,” noted his uncle, Russell Anderson of Warwick. “We are all very proud of him. He was just a regular smart kid who worked hard.”

Mullaney expressed the importance of education, serving one another, and pursuing your vocation. Today, Mullaney is working hard to pursue his vocation by finding a way to serve his country, as he says, "without the boots on." Currently, he is an advisor to President Barack Obama and hopes to work at the Pentagon in the future. Mullaney also wishes to continue to witness to others by his faith, passion, and through his writing.

Concluding his talk at Hendricken, Mullaney, showing school spirit in his green Hendricken sweatshirt, made one important request of his fellow Hawks.

"Live lives worth writing about," said Mullaney. "I hope to read your stories. Thank you for having me home."