BAY VIEW ACADEMY ALUMNA, ARMY CAPTAIN MARGARET LERO LARSON, HONORED AT WOMEN WARRIORS LUNCHEON ON VETERAN’S DAY

East Providence, RI – Bay View Academy alumna and Army MEDEVAC Pilot, Captain Margaret Lero Larson, class of 2002, brought her audience to tears as she spoke poignantly of her “Aha!” moment at the Women Warriors luncheon on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2013.

She was 25 years-old, Maggie told the crowd, flying MEDEVAC missions out of Bagram Air Field in eastern Afghanistan. The “Aha!” moment, (a phrase Maggie borrowed from Oprah Winfrey), happened as she greeted pilots who were returning from flying 25-30 people to a hospital after a mortar explosion in an Afghan bazaar. As a platoon leader, whenever Maggie wasn’t flying herself she greeted her Soldiers when they landed at the end of a mission. She explains,

“When they finally landed at our hangar and shut down that day,” she said, “I was out on the flight line to greet them and help prepare their aircraft for any subsequent missions. I remember donning surgical gloves and then I began, alongside the flight medics, to scrub the floorboards of the aircraft, trying to wash all the blood away. When the aircraft were restocked of medical supplies and cleaned, I had my “aha” moment… I distinctly remember thinking to myself ‘How did I get from an all girls’ high school in little Rhode Island to the middle of a combat zone, scrubbing the blood of my fellow human beings off the floor of our aircraft?’” 

“And after a moment, I realized that this wasn’t a ‘job’ any more. This was a vocation. My vocation. And that someone obviously had a plan for me. And that’s the moment when I truly embraced the incredible opportunity I had been given, to lead soldiers, to save lives, and to be a part of something greater than myself.”

Maggie completed two deployments, a combined 25 months of active duty in two separate MEDEVAC companies, with a combined 200 Soldiers flying a total of 4,500 combat MEDEVAC AC missions.

“We’ve seen evil and we’ve been to hell together,” said Maggie. “But we’ve also seen selflessness, and indescribable courage…And we’ve seen love. My God, we’ve seen and we’ve felt love.”

The Women Warriors luncheon is held annually to benefit Holly Charette House, a transitional housing facility for female veterans located in Johnston, RI. Maggie was joined by her husband, Army flight surgeon Shane Larson, who flew with her from Colorado for the event. Her parents, Mary and Joe Lero (Bristol, RI) were also by her side, along with Bay View Academy community members including some of Maggie’s former teachers and administrators.

A current Bay View student, senior Moriah Garzone (North Smithfield, RI), also attended the luncheon. She welcomed the opportunity to meet Maggie. Moriah had recently written an essay that was published on Teen Ink, a website dedicated to teen writing and photography. The essay, Respect Those Who Served Us, questions why disabled and unemployed veterans are treated poorly when they return home. Moriah encourages her readers that, “It is time that we all have a new worldview; to start treating each other with compassion and respect.”

Twenty members of the Bay View Academy choir, led by Christine D. Kavanagh (Barrington, RI), opened the Women Warriors luncheon with song, including patriotic numbers and the Academy’s alma mater, The Bells of St. Mary’s.

The following is the list of Bay View student singers:

Stephanie Labib, Senior, Swansea, MA

Leanne White, Sophomore, East Providence, RI

Samantha Wynne, Sophomore, Warwick, RI

Olivia O'Connor, Senior, Johnston, RI

Elizabeth Kolakowski, Sophomore, Chepachet, RI

Victoria Furtado, Senior, East Providence, RI

Elizabeth Furtado, Sophomore, East Providence, RI

Audrey Robinson, Senior, Lincoln, RI

Natalie Turner, Freshman, Warwick, RI

Camilla Macera, Sophomore, Hope, RI

Lauryn DeCrescenzo, Junior, East Providence, RI

Alexandra DuPrey, Freshman, Cumberland, RI

Delia Sosa, Junior, East Providence, RI

Rachelle Faria, Senior, East Providence, RI

Sara Therrien, Senior, Cranston, RI

Michelle Taraian, Senior, Warwick, RI

Hannah Shea, Senior, Warwick, RI

Catherine Donnelly, Freshman, Rehoboth, RI

Summer Small, Freshman, East Providence, RI

Soraya Pierre-Louis, Sophomore, East Providence, RI