Earning Our Highest Honor

Service to the greater good is a staple of Seattle University’s values and two of our most decorated alumni lived that value in the most notable of ways.

Veterans Maj. General Patrick Brady, ’59, and Lt. Colonel William Swenson, ’01, are among only 61 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest award for military valor in action.

A graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, Maj. Gen. Brady joined SU’s ROTC program out of Seattle’s O’Dea High School. His act of bravery and heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor occurred in Vietnam on January 6, 1968.

Maj. Gen. Brady, at the time a major commanding a UH-1H ambulance helicopter, volunteered to rescue wounded men from a heavily guarded enemy site covered in thick fog. In several dangerous missions, he evacuated 51 seriously wounded men from enemy territory, risking his life and going beyond the call of duty.

Maj. Gen. Brady was presented with the Medal of Honor on October 27, 1969, making him one of two men to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross during the Vietnam War. Later, the Cadet Battalion at Seattle University was renamed the Major General Patrick H. Brady Battalion. The Brady Battalion created a “Hall of Valor” to commemorate Seattle University alumni who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

Lt. Col. Swenson, who earned a political science degree at SU, embarked on a career that included one tour in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. His acts of heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor occurred in Afghanistan on September 8, 2009, where Lt. Col. Swenson, at the time holding the rank of Captain, and his team were ambushed by more than 60 enemy fighters while traveling to meet with village elders in Ganjal.

Lt. Colonel William Swenson, '01

Lt. Col. Swenson responded quickly, directing air assets and evacuation for wounded. He risked his life several times by entering the kill zone to recover wounded and fallen soldiers, showing incredible heroism and selflessness during the six hours of continuous fighting. President Obama honored Lt. Col. Swenson with the Medal of Honor on October 15, 2013, saying “Like every great leader, he was also a servant.”

In being named Seattle University’s 2014 Alumnus of the Year, Lt. Col. Swenson said “Every step I took, I had someone supporting me. Leadership is all about establishing trust and making people want to follow you.”