Veterans
Tradition of Service
Since the nation’s founding, Harvard has helped shape America’s military and public service, and has led in advancing scholarship in technology, defense, and diplomacy.
Long history
Dating back to the colonial period, Harvard University has shared a deeply interwoven history with the U.S. military.
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1776
During the American Revolution, students were dismissed early and the Harvard campus was turned over to the Continental Army. More than 1,600 soldiers were housed in Harvard buildings.
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1861
Harvard undergraduates joined the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, nicknamed “the Harvard regiment.” On campus, Harvard students rushed to protect the cannons and ammunition held at the Cambridge Arsenal.
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1941
During World War II, the U.S. Naval Reserve operated a Supply Corps School at Harvard for the training of officers, including members of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).
Roni Yadlin
Roni Yadlin, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, came to Harvard Kennedy School to deepen her understanding of some of the central challenges the military faces today.
Trey Whitehead
After graduating from SEAS last spring, Trey moved on to the Georgia Institute of Technology where he is focusing on how the military can better incorporate artificial intelligence into its operations.
Lindsey Chrismon
While attending West Point, Lindsey, a U.S. Army veteran and recent HBS graduate, made history as the first female pilot of the AH-6M Little Bird helicopter in the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. She also served as Brigade Commander and First Captain, becoming only the fourth woman to hold the academy’s top leadership role.
On campus and beyond
Providing care
To help address a critical gap in care for veterans, Harvard School of Dental Medicine recently hosted its annual Give Veterans a Smile event. Now in its fifth year, the student-led initiative provides free dental care to veterans and their spouses.
Providing carePreparing for service
Harvard was home to the first Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) battalion in the nation, formed in 1916. In recent years, there has been an increase in students interested in military service.
Promoting scholarship
Harvard Kennedy School recently launched the American Service Fellowship, a new initiative that will provide full scholarships for at least 50 public servants and military veterans to enroll for a one-year, fully funded master’s degree.
Protecting rights
Students in the Law School’s Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic work to protect the rights of veterans and their families.
Collaboration moves the nation forward
Since World War II, universities and the federal government have built an innovation ecosystem that has driven life‑changing advances.
Life-saving treatment for Wounded Warriors
Harvard bioengineering PhD candidate Maithili Joshi developed an injectable, self-assembling peptide that rapidly targets internal bleeding, binds to platelets, and speeds clotting without disrupting normal blood function, offering a new treatment for one of the leading causes of preventable trauma death.
This research is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Harvard School of Engineering and the Wyss Institute.
The U.S. became the world’s leading engine of discovery and technological progress through a federal, university, and industry partnership that built today’s research and development ecosystem.
Using data from more than 10 million U.S. soldiers monitored over a 20-year period, a research team led by Harvard researchers found the first compelling evidence of a cause for multiple sclerosis.
A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and Boston University provides a new approach to studying CTE.
True faith and allegiance
Ben Bellet
Ben Bellet, an Army veteran and alum of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, is set to release his debut poetry collection reflecting on his time in the Army and on masculinity.
Theresa Champ
Theresa Champ, an experienced Navy JAG and student at Harvard Law School, has defended sailors and Gitmo detainees and traveled the world advising on national and international law.
Shane Rice
Shane, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was unsure of where his Harvard journey would lead him. An archeology class would change all of that.
Answering the call to serve patients and country
While many of their classmates went on to pursue specialty training in academic settings or work in private practice after graduation, five students from Harvard School of Dental Medicine—representing 15% of the class—went on to serve in branches of the military.
Service in action
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