One of the Few and the Proud

Marine veteran MJ Forrest '89 shared war stories and life lessons at the 2025 Veterans Day Convocation.

MJ Forrest '89 grew up in Topsfield and enrolled in The Governor’s Academy as a day student in 1985 with dreams of becoming a star hockey player. But, he didn’t make the varsity team until his senior year. “I learned a very valuable lesson that humility and tenacity can never be taken away from you,” Forrest told Govs students at November’s Veterans Day Convocation. “If you truly desire to have success, you have to work for it. Sometimes your name isn’t going to be on the roster. But if you power through, there’s always an opportunity to achieve success.” The lesson was one step in his maturation that Forrest credits to his time at Govs. It later helped him in his 20-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps.

This year’s Convocation was The Governor’s Academy’s second annual Veterans Day event. Last year, Director of Alumni and Family Engagement Samantha Boulais Howson P’17 suggested that Govs make an intentional move from asking alumni veterans to come speak on Memorial Day to hosting a more involved day with greater student engagement around Veterans Day. “Memorial Day is the day after commencement, so the seniors have already left,” she said. “It’s also four days before summer break, and during an exam period with no classes.” 

Retired USMC Lieutenant Colonel Forrest traveled from his home in North Carolina, where he works as an Assistant District Attorney, to address a standing-room-only crowd in Bergmann Theater in the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts on November 6. The day kicked off with an introduction by Govs students on the history of Veterans Day, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, a war that started in 2003, years before the oldest students in attendance were born, but extended into their lifetimes. 

History Department Chair Erin O’Connell led the discussion with Forrest, who, after graduating from Govs, attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in Officer Candidates School with the Marines. He deployed in 2002 to Operation Southern Watch and in 2003, 2006, and 2008 to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. 

 

It’s not the life for everybody...But if it is for you, it can be tremendously rewarding.

O’Connell asked Forrest about the lessons he learned at Govs that helped him in his military career, which brought up his hockey memories. She also asked about his deployment experiences and how the Iraqi citizens received the Americans. “You see a lot of pictures of soldiers engaging the children playing soccer or handing out hard candy,” Forrest said. “That was by design. Those 11-year-old kids are in their early thirties. We wanted to treat the children and the villagers with dignity and respect, because they are now the leaders of Iraq.”

Audience members asked what Forrest did between deployments, specifics about the type of jet he flew, and about his bonds with his fellow Marines. “You’re away from your family for extended periods of time,” Forrest said. “You end up spending holidays and birthdays with the other Marines. You also deploy, and in some cases, go to war with them. You develop very strong bonds that last a lifetime.” O’Connell asked Forrest what advice he would give to students considering military service. “I'll tell you right now, it’s not the life for everybody,” he said. “But if it is for you, it can be tremendously rewarding.”

Later, Forrest met with about 40 students in Frost Library for a more intimate discussion during which he spoke candidly about the realities of wartime deployment. “I think one of the biggest misperceptions out there is that Marines like war,” he said. “The reality is that it is our job and it’s terrifying. When the bullets are real and the blood is red, that’s when the finality of combat hits you.”

 

The smaller group of students was also more candid, asking questions about repatriating after deployment, whether combat ever made Forrest question his faith, and the realities of PTSD. “I don’t think that anybody comes back the same,” Forrest said. “I now recognize the frailty of life.” One attendee asked if Forrest ever regretted his decision to enlist. “Every night during the invasion when I thought I was going to die,” he answered. “But when I look back, in the aggregate, it worked out for me. It was the life for me.”

Forrest left the students with two pieces of advice. The first was to register to vote. “I don’t care what you vote for, but make your voices heard,” he said. “If you like what’s going on, vote to keep it the same. If you don’t like what’s going on, vote for change, but vote. There are so many people in other countries who don’t have that same privilege.” 

The second piece of advice was one that Theater and English teacher Paul Wann P’94 gave Forrest when he was still a student at Govs: Life is about the experience. “I can’t remember the last time somebody asked me my grade point average,” Forrest said. “Grades are important, but the relationships with your friends, the people in your dorms, your club sports, the plays or concerts that you participate in here are all important to your Govs experience. And you may not recognize it now, but at some point you’re going to say, Wow. Govs was an amazing experience.” 

Howson said both Forrest and 2024’s guest speaker, Peter Stonebraker '60, were moved by how the students engaged with them. With 95 living alumni who are military veterans, she looks forward to continuing the new Veterans Day tradition for years to come. To view photos from the day, click here. 

If you don’t like what’s going on, vote for change, but vote. There are so many people in other countries who don’t have that same privilege.

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We thank and honor MJ Forrest and all those who have served on this Veterans Day.

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