Chris O’Connor, an American veteran leader

By NATE LaMAR
Guest Columnist

“If [your gift] is to lead, do it diligently” – Romans 12:8 (NIV)

Chris O’Connor passed away Sept. 20 in Oxford, Ohio, while visiting his son at Miami University.

We were West Point classmates and cadet company-mates all four years. We did not get along initially: he was a blue-collar Irish Catholic, leftist Democrat hockey player from Massachusetts, while I was a W.A.S.P. farm-boy, conservative Republican distance runner from Indiana. But we made it through plebe year and its academic difficulties.

Becoming a Cadet Training Officer is a job nobody wants, as you are in charge of dreaded drill for parades. But in the “leadership laboratory” that is West Point, at the end of junior year our Tactical Officer told Chris he was recommending him for this role, as he didn’t care what other cadets thought of him! Chris was tough and had thick skin. We became friends and were both proud to graduate in the top 75 percent of our class!

We roomed together at Fort Sill during Field Artillery School. We enjoyed Oklahoma, visiting nearby Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and Lawton’s ethnic restaurants. Thanks to his mathematical mind, Chris helped me through gunnery. Upon graduation, he went to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C., while I went to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. By the time I arrived at Fort Bragg for the Terrorism Awareness Course, Chris had already deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield.

Chris O’Connor (Photo provided)

From Fort Bragg, Chris’ next duty station was Korea, followed by Fort Hood, Texas, where he was a Battery Commander, then Artillery Model & Simulation Officer, receiving a Meritorious Service Medal. He did so many field training exercises at Fort Irwin, he told me he almost changed his residency to California! He served on active duty until 1999, when he became a Consultant for Kepler Research in northern Virginia.

Chris then made the best decision of his life by marrying Martha Treichel. He became a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. As I was occasionally in D.C. on business, he would always make time to meet. On one visit, Chris took me to my first-ever MLB game (the Washington Nationals), where I caught a ball! On another D.C. trip, I secured him and his family tickets from my Congressman when Pope Francis visited.

By this time, Chris had lost his Boston accent! But he never forgot his roots. He told me he needed to “level his bubble,” by returning to Massachusetts to visit his parents and old neighborhood, as reminders of how far he had come. When the NGA contract ended, Chris joined ChangeSmith, where he was in his element doing leadership training for government and commercial clients. Chris reminded clients to be “the best version of themselves,” which he also reminded friends. But he was hardest of all on himself with this phrase.

Administrations change, spending priorities and other matters, like tariffs, change. As a result, many classmates learned that a job search in our 50s is no fun. When we were suddenly unemployed, Chris and I gave each other leads and resumé critiques. He landed on his feet in Case Management at the Defense Logistics Agency.

We last saw each other in June. At his Mass of Christian Burial on Oct. 9 in Alexandria, Va., many West Point classmates, Army buddies, and civilian colleagues attended. Chris leaves a legacy of love to his wife, daughter, and son, and his legacy of leadership to the many whose paths crossed his.

On this Veterans Day, I salute the late Captain Chris O’Connor, American hero!

Nate LaMar, a career international manager, also serves as Military Academy Liaison Officer (West Point recruiter) for East Central Indiana, and was Henry County Council President from 2009 to 2019.