A Michigan Technological University alumnus will lead the world’s largest and oldest St. Patrick's Day parade on March 17: the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Don Makay will lead the parade for the second time with his unit, the 69th Infantry.
“It is an honor to lead the soldiers of the 69th, who not only represent a diverse group of young men and women who have volunteered to defend the country, but represent a long-standing tradition of immigrants who came, built this country, and were willing to fight and sacrifice for this country,” he says.
The 69th Infantry formed in 1848 as a New York State Militia regiment (now part of the New York Army National Guard and the second-oldest surviving Army regiment), of entirely Irish descent. The regiment began providing military escort for the parade in 1853 and has led each year.
Makay says the group, while no longer all Irish, includes many immigrants, with soldiers coming from across the world to serve and protect the United States.
A 1999 Michigan Tech graduate, Makay received his bachelor’s degree in scientific and technical communication and an associate degree in electrical engineering technology. He was a member of Michigan Tech’s Army ROTC and says that was a life-altering opportunity.
"It not only surrounded me with great leaders, it inculcated a sense of values and allowed me to hone and cultivate leadership traits at a young age. Michigan Tech gave me an opportunity to practice the art of leadership, which was crucial in preparing me for the demands that were soon to follow."
When the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred, Makay and his fellow soldiers were quickly put to the test. “Many of the lessons and examples I learned during ROTC set the stage for a very demanding requirement to lead troops.”
A Life of Service
Makay’s Michigan Tech education and time at ROTC shaped his career path. “Michigan Tech has one of the best ROTC programs and the most challenging academic environments,” he says. “The leaders I met at ROTC saw my potential and they were talented at challenging me to do my best.”
His Tech experience helped prepare him for his first job after graduation: platoon leader of 40 soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
“We prepared for and deployed to Kosovo, a province of old Yugoslavia that had been struggling against a tyrannical regime, ethnic cleansing and a revolution" he says. "My job was to help reduce violence and enforce peace in the villages we were assigned, which included military operations in the mountains on the border of Macedonia to stop smuggling.”
He subsequently deployed five more times as a combat infantry officer, including multiple tours leading soldiers and programs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Throughout his 13-plus years of service, Makay says his career highlight was to “fight for what I believe, to perform my duty and lead soldiers during this challenging time. Politics aside, the fight of our generation was the fight against terrorism, and the reward was simply to serve when needed.”
Makay is also the recipient of this year’s Humanitarian Alumni Award. He received the award for his work to help create the Iraqi Hope Foundation in 2008. Makay says the program was an ambitious effort, but was disrupted when ISIS advanced and occupied a large portion of the northern territory of Iraq. With many lessons learned, and a renewed sense of security and stability in the region, the organization is in the re-planning stages and Makay is excited about its future.
His advice for current and future students: “Life is not inherently fair or easy. It is made so by people who are willing to work and fight for it. If life seems fair or easy, do not take it for granted. Someone, somewhere is fighting to keep it that way. If you want to make the world a better place, serve something bigger than yourself. Serve first, talk later.”
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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