Lake Country This Month

By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman DELAFIELD — First Lt. Alonzo Cushing of the U.S. Army died in the Civil War at age 22 from wounds sustained while com- manding an artillery battery during the Battle of Gettysburg — a battle both piv- otal and sacred in our nation's history. At the time of his actions in the battle that led to his demise, Cushing was but a few years older than the cadets at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield. "Here is a young man, not much older than many of our boys, having his life taken from him in defense of our country," said Jack H. Albert Jr., president of SJNMA. "That's part of the message I will be sharing with our boys." Albert and the cadets at SJNMA will share with the community their campus and expertise during the Cushing Memori- al Rededication Event from May 22 to May 25 in Delafield. A Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the academy on May 22, according to the schedule of events on the Delafield Chamber of Commerce's web- site. The May 24 Memorial Day parade will begin at the academy and end at Cushing Memorial Park. After the parade, there will be a dedication ceremony, during which cadets will provide music and par- ticipate in the formal salute. The ceremonies and surrounding festivi- ties put SJNMA front and center, and that allows the community to see the results of the academy's rigorous training and cur- riculum. According to its website, SJNMA is a private, all-male college preparatory and leadership development school that com- bines personalized academic instruction, mandatory participation in athletics, ongoing instruction in ethics and values and a structured, military-style environ- ment that allows each student opportunity to achieve at his full potential. "I find so many times people who have lived here for 30 years and have never been to campus," Albert said. Alonzo Cushing was born in Delafield in 1841. He served as a Union artillery officer in the Civil War. Cushing earned the Medal of Honor for actions taken on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg as an artillery commander in Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, Army of the Potomac. Medal's permanent home? Albert said organizers of the Cushing Memorial Rededication Event contacted the academy last year and solicited inter- est in participation. Out of SJNMA's involvement in the festivities grew the idea that Cushing's Medal of Honor might be permanently housed at the academy. "We know the medal is going to be here for the weekend," Albert said. "One of the things I pitched is putting the medal on display here." A number of requirements must be met for the medal to be displayed at SJNMA, Albert said, and it is not yet final that SJNMA will be the medal's permanent home. Albert said SJNMA carries suffi- cient insurance and is a secure enough facility to house the medal. Albert met Alonzo Cushing descendant Helen Loring Ensign of Palm Desert, Calif., during a recent fundraising trip to Califor nia. She accepted the Medal of Honor on behalf of the family during the November White House ceremony. SJNMA extended Loring Ensign a for- mal invitation to attend the event, and Albert suggested SJNMA per manently house Cushing's medal. In yet another instance of the intimate connections between Delafield, Cushing and SJNMA, the blessing before the dedi- cation ceremony will be delivered by Chap- lain H. Pickett Wall, an ordained minister of the Episcopal Church and SJNMA's director of spiritual life, and a relative of Gen. George Edward Pickett. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett, a Confederate gen- eral, commanded what is known as Pick- ett's Charge. According to the official citation accom- panying Cushing's Medal of Honor, Cush- ing died after being struck in the mouth by a Confederate bullet while directing artillery fire during Pickett's Charge. FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY • Page 5 MAY 2015 243040007 244203016 A message of courage Alonzo Cushing set example for St. John's Northwestern Military Academy cadets Charles Auer/Freeman Staff St. John's Northwestern Military Academy First Captain Paddy Zheng carries the Medal of Honor awarded to Alonzo Cushing following a ceremony May 7.

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