In honor of Veterans Day, the Allentown Art Museum is highlighting staff members who have served and continue to serve our country. We asked them to share their thoughts about their military service on this special day. To George, Jake, Matt, Sean, and all members of our military, past and present, we thank you for your service:

George F. Gasper, Museum Security

“My three years in the Marine Corps and twenty-four years in the Naval Reserve, Construction Battalion, was a learning experience. I learned about leadership because I saw it in action. The saying goes, ‘Managers do things right, leaders do it the right way,’ and that’s true. In the military we live by the rule, ‘Never ask anybody to do anything that you wouldn’t do.’ And our leaders did that. If we had to run two miles in the hot sun, our officers ran right with us. At chow time they were right there with us, at the end of the line. That’s leadership.”

George F. Gasper, Museum Security

Left to right: Matt Bosak, Museum Security, & Jake Fegley, Museum Security

Matt Bosak,
Museum Security

“I’ve been in the Air Force for a little more than five years now, and two deployments, and this is the first time I’ve reflected on what it means to be a veteran. I see being a veteran as a rite of passage in my family. My father served in Iraq and Afghanistan, my uncles served in Vietnam, and my grandfather served during World War 2. I’m very lucky to be able to serve my country and its people as well as those in other countries looking for the freedom we have here at home. I’m more than grateful to have the opportunities I’ve had, and I’ve met some great people along the way. To me being a veteran is a blessing of experiences that many will not have the opportunity to have, and it’s in service of others.”

Jake Fegley,
Museum Security

“To me, being a veteran is more than an honorable status. I am proud of what I have sacrificed for others so they don’t have to worry or do the same. Being in the military will forever change my life, with knowledge and experiences I don’t think I would have had the chance to obtain if I had not joined. Being a veteran is making brothers for life who will always have your back no matter what. There is nothing quite like the military in the civilian world, and I hate to see the day when I out process from my Air Force Reserve unit.”

Sean O’Leary, Visitor Services

“I served in the U.S. Navy from 1999 till 2003. The beautiful thing about the Navy is that I was able to visit exotic places like Singapore and Australia, all the while honing my profession. What I didn’t know then was that the Navy was also honing me—showing me what true teamwork, leadership, integrity, and honor looked like.”

Sean O’Leary, Visitor Services

Featured image: Detail: George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882-1925), Dawn of Peace, 1918, oil on canvas. Purchase: Gift of Estelle Reninger, 1990. (1990.15)