SXU to Host Veterans Day Event
Saint Xavier University's (SXU) Student Veterans Alliance is partnering with the McCarthy Brigade for a Veterans Day Event on November 11 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Butler Reception Room. Student veterans will recognize SXU nursing professor, Karen O'Brien, Ph.D., honoring her esteemed military history.
"I am truly blessed to be recognized by Saint Xavier and my veteran brothers and sisters, as well as the first responder community," said O'Brien.
O'Brien will share personal stories from her journey and the meaningfulness of Veterans Day. The McCarthy Brigade, a Beverly organization made up of current and former military, law enforcement, and fire service members, will present O'Brien with a combat flag.
SVA selected O'Brien for her distinguished nursing and leadership career that spans active duty, reserve, and deployed service in both clinical and operational military roles. She had made numerous contributions to the country and Saint Xavier in her many years of service.
"It means so much to our student veterans to have faculty members on campus who are also veterans. It's another resource they can use to their advantage as they transition from service member to student. Having faculty members who can relate to our student veterans in a way that only veterans can is a true luxury that cannot be replaced," said Matthew Maltese, Veterans and Athletics Compliance Advisor.
O'Brien earned a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from SXU and has taught at the University from 1999 through 2017, starting as an adjunct faculty member and clinical instructor before becoming a tenured associate professor. She returned to SXU in 2023 and currently serves as Director of Undergraduate Nursing.
O'Brien, who served as a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) in the Army Nurse Corps (AN), was commissioned through ROTC in August 1985. She has over 20 years of military service, including more than five years on active duty, over 12 years in the Army Reserve, and three years in the Individual Ready Reserve. O'Brien holds a secret security clearance. During her military education, O'Brien completed several Army Medical Department (AMEDD) courses. Although her primary role was as a nurse, she has served with the 801st Combat Support Hospital in several other capacities, including Assistant Operations Officer, Battle Captain, and Unit Movement Officer. O'Brien was deployed to Iraq, where she worked as an ICU nurse. In later Reserve assignments, she served as Battalion Operations Officer and Nurse Observer/Controller-Trainer.
O'Brien’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Expert Field Medical Badge.
"As president of SVA and a proud U.S. veteran, I am honored to help lead this year's Veteran's Day Event at Saint Xavier University. This day is about recognizing the courage, dedication and sacrifices of those who have served our country, and we are so proud of Dr. O'Brien. It's also a reminder of the strength and unity within our veteran community here on campus," said Karely Padilla, SVA president.
The event is open to all, including the local community.
"Their bodies lay upon the field of battle, their voices now silent. They took an oath to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic - so that their children, and their children's children, would be called Americans. Their sacrifice will be written in the pages of history, in bright, unending lines of red." – Pat McAuley, McCarthy Brigade