Veterans Day Spotlight: Steven Rader '64

When I entered Breck in the fall of 1955 as a fourth grader, it was quite a different school than it is today. Back then, it was a school that was all-male, military-oriented, and much smaller. With a graduating class of 28 in 1964, we all got to know one another quite well over our years at Breck. To complete the high school sports teams, virtually everyone had to participate. We had to learn to work together with people from different backgrounds with different interests. Breck was academically challenging and a great preparation for college. 

As a senior, I applied to and received an appointment to West Point, something that I think I was interested in for most of my youth. Another Breck classmate, Mike Tangen ’64, also received an appointment, and we graduated together in 1968 from West Point. I had an uncle, a career Army officer, who positively influenced my decision to join the military. I was also drawn to the military as a field that involved both service to the country and the opportunity to see the world. In addition, another attraction of West Point was the complete lack of tuition — in fact, cadets are paid at the rate of one-half a second lieutenant’s salary. West Point was, and, I think, remains, one of the most respected collegiate institutions in the nation. 

Breck prepared me well for West Point, and in turn, West Point prepared me for duty as an Army officer. I had the privilege to serve for 26 years, assigned to duties at many locations I could not have imagined before I entered West Point, including 18 months in combat in Vietnam; United Nations peacekeeping duty in Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon; 11 years in airborne infantry, Ranger, and Special Forces units; and staff duties in the Pentagon and at the primary NATO military headquarters in Belgium.