General Petraeus with Kyle Scherer '09 (back right) and Nicholas Siler in the Caspersen Room.
On June 3, General David Petraeus, the current head of U.S. Central Command, was on hand for the recommissioning ceremony of two military officers who were being promoted to the rank of captain—one in the Army and the other in the Air Force. Kyle Scherer ’09 and Nicholas Siler took their oaths in the Caspersen Room of Langdell Library.
Petraeus offered words of thanks for the widespread community support offered to those serving in the military, and encouragement for the two officers being promoted.
“Regardless of people’s views on decisions made in the wake of 9/11 and so forth, everybody seems to agree on one important thing—and that is to support the men and women in uniform and their families,” Petraeus said. “People who put on the uniform … are true gifts to us—and to our nation.”
U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan ’86, who knew Scherer during her time as dean of HLS, praised his “commitment, passion and energy.” HLS Professor Noah Feldman, who helped to write the first Iraqi Constitution after the U.S. invasion, served as master of ceremonies for the event.
Scherer currently serves as counterintelligence platoon leader for the 223rd Delta Company Military Intelligence Division in the Massachusetts National Guard. He was recognized for his involvement in the HLS community with a Dean’s Award for Community Leadership during the Class Day exercises. Next year, Scherer will provide legal services to the Navajo and Hopi in the Four Corners region and will join the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as an associate in New York City.
Petraeus also participated in Harvard University’s ROTC commissioning ceremony, which took place in Harvard’s Tercentenary Theater.
Also during Class Day exercises, then Acting Dean Howell Jackson ’82 announced that HLS will provide qualifying post-9/11 veterans full tuition under the federal government’s new Yellow Ribbon Program. HLS will contribute $21,000 per student, with the Department of Veterans Affairs matching contributions made by schools. The combination of grants is expected to cover tuition and fees for up to 12 HLS students next year.