By Pam Hersh
Major Michael Kelvington, who is the keynote speaker at the Princeton Veterans Day ceremony, has a secret weapon. It is called perspective. At the age 33, he has been deployed several times in conventional and special operations to Iraq and Afghanistan, and, as a result, Princeton’s traffic congestion and parking meter fees seem downright pleasurable. Long lines at Starbucks or Small World can’t hold a candle to IEDs (improvised explosive devices) or hand grenades as far as being able to ruin your day.
Enrolled in a two-year Master’s of Public Administration in international relations program at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, the 2005 graduate of West Point has acquired a plethora of awards and decorations that far outnumber the varieties of coffee sold in town. His honors include: the Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Citation, a Bronze Star Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Purple Heart, a Joint Commendation Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, German Proficiency Badge (gold), and the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.
Major Kelvington — who will speak during the Sprit of Princeton’s Veterans Day ceremony, Nov. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. at the All Wars Monument at the intersection of Nassau and Mercer streets — says winning a scholarship from the Combating Terrorism Center to the Woodrow Wilson School graduate program has been an “overwhelming” honor, as has his award/reward of being the father of 4-year-old McKinley, 2-year-old Madison, and an “any-time-now” baby boy.
Being able to live in one place for two years and “have that place be Princeton is unbelievably good fortune for my family… We truly are blessed to be here in this uniquely wonderful environment,” said Major Kelvington. For every year of his graduate school “break” from active military service, he has to sign up for three more years of service in the military. However, that fits right into Major Kelvington’s goal of making a career of “serving this country and everyone who lives here.” A native of Akron, Ohio, Major Kelvington has a background that is neither military nor academic. His parents have no military affiliation and never attended college, but have been very supportive of Major Kelvington’s choices in life.
”When I was a junior in high school, I began to think about a military career and simultaneously, I got a brochure in the mail that really inspired me to go in this direction. I applied and got into West Point. Probably what sealed it for me was the fact that I had just started as a freshman, when the country experienced the 9/11 attacks. There was no question from that point on as to how I would spend my life,” he said.
Major Kelvington’s wife Megan shares his appreciation of military service. She also is a West Point graduate (class of 2006) whose mother was a West Point graduate, they were West Point’s first mother-daughter alumni. She served eight years in the Army as a Black Hawk pilot and left her active military profession to pursue her current career as a navigator of the lives two (soon to be three) small children.
In his Woodrow Wilson School classes, Major Kelvington enjoys sharing his perspective, but more than anything else, he revels in being exposed to the non-military and diverse perspectives of his classmates. “The education allows me to see the world though a different lens. This is very important for someone with a military education and years in the military where the norm is ‘group think,’ I certainly am not surrounded by like-minded people.”
Normally reticent about his specific combat experiences and the circumstances that led to his various honors, he is eager to describe how American troops represent the values and policies of the United States by rebuilding communities and implementing acts of humanitarianism. On one of his tours in Iraq, he and his unit found a 2-year-old toddler wandering the streets and trying to cope with a tragically severe intestinal physical defect. “We got in touch with the right people and had the child flown to a Philadelphia children’s hospital for very specialized surgery,” Major Kelvington said. “The toddler was able to go home to lead a productive life without a life-threatening handicap.”
Major Kelvington also is talkative when it comes to “Dave,” the Afghani citizen (Dave is not his real name), who served as his translator in Afghanistan. “He was a profoundly valuable asset to me during my 2012 deployment. I believe his counsel helped me keep my men alive,” said Major Kelvington, who is trying to employ every political weapon he can think of to get permission for Dave and his family to immigrate to the United States. For whatever reason, the immigration process seems to be stuck in bureaucracy and Major Kelvington is seeking help unclog it before Dave and his family are killed by the Taliban.
”Dave loves America so much, he had the courage to do what many Americans never have: serve the United States in combat,” Major Kelvington said. “In fact, because he loves what our great country stands for, he served our country in combat for almost six consecutive years… He’s been shot at and had more hand grenades and IEDs blow up near him than most members of our military. Dave has received death threats in meetings, over the phone, and constantly worries about whether his family will survive because of his actions to assist the U.S. and our military.
”For seven months in 2012, I commanded a company team of over 150 U.S. Paratroopers partnering with 340 Afghan Security Force officers,” Major Kelvington continues. “We operated in a town of over 10,000 people in an area that in the previous year averaged at least one act of violence by the enemy every single day. This was a wicked problem. We experienced a steep learning curve coming in. I needed a trusted ally to assist me in making life-or-death decisions in a tough fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. During my deployment, this man was my best friend. My paratroopers affectionately called him ‘Dave.’ I called him my ‘shadow governor.’ Dave was our company’s primary linguist and cultural adviser during the course of our deployment. He was there for me like he was for the four previous commanders who served in that area, and for the handful of others who came after me. (I promised him) seven years ago that because of his impeccable service to our country, we would take care of him and his wife and young son.
In 2012, Major Kelvington wrote the U.S. Department of State to endorse Dave and, in doing so, signed off on Dave’s packet for citizenship. For the past three years, Dave and his family — without money and with death threats — have been waiting their turn in a war zone.
”Every time I read about another car bomb going off or see an execution video of those who have ‘worked with or for Americans,’ I worry about Dave… Routinely over the past three years, I’ve emailed the State Department’s Embassy in Kabul inquiring about the status of his family’s status,” Major Kelvington said. “Initially, I received quick and personal responses. Things were moving along until last summer. Since then, his packet has been stuck on the same step.” Major Kelvington’s letters to 32 members of Congress thus far have had no impact.
When interviewed, Major Kelvington had no idea as to the content of his speech. It would be no surprise to anyone who knows Major Kelvington, if “Save Dave” would find its way into the speech. The story certainly does lend perspective to all those who take the time to listen and care. And perhaps a Princetonian may know of a way to help in the Save Dave campaign and give Major Michael Kelvington another unforgettable honor that cannot be pinned to a lapel, but will be embedded in his heart forever.
