ST SEBASTIAN’S

BROTHERHOOD
Class A minor league baseball]. It’s been fun to watch him develop,
and I’ll be happy to watch him continue in his success. It’s always
more fun playing against people you know.”
Perry, now 25, feels fortunate to have spent three years with the
Detroit Tigers organization. He is now at a crossroads in his career,
weighing the potential merits of continuing with baseball against the
prospect of beginning a business career.
“I’ve been invited back to spring training,” he said, “and if it’s
the right opportunity, I’d like to keep playing, but, if not, hopefully
the internships I’ve done in the off-season have prepared me for the
business world.”
He knows that his St. Sebastian’s brothers will stand by him no
matter his career path. Thinking back to all of his conversations with
Arrows throughout the years, Perry maintains that the spirit of selfreflection
and evaluation still burns inside of him, helping to keep
him moving forward.
“At the core,” he concluded, “I’ve stayed as true to myself as I
could have hoped. St. Sebastian’s was a huge part of that.
Courage, Honor, Commitment
Ken Mateo ’05 is a helicopter pilot for the United States Marine
Corps at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA.
He attended the Naval Academy right out of St. Sebastian’s before
becoming a Marine. As part of this year’s St. Sebastian’s Alumni
Dinner, an event which honored alumni servicemen, Mateo
sent in a Skype video greeting as part of montage that featured
several active Arrows in service. He thinks that the St. Sebastian’s
education lends itself to service.
“I think the camaraderie and brotherhood aspects of St.
Sebastian’s transferred very easily into being able to develop bonds
and cohesion with my company mates at the Naval Academy,”
Mateo said. “From there I transferred from one unit to another
throughout my military experience so far and I’ve been able to use
the same core values that St. Sebastian’s instilled in me.”
The core values of the Marine Corps are “courage, honor,
and commitment,” which Mateo thinks parallel nicely with St.
Sebastian’s motto of “love God, work hard, and take good care of
one another.
“The Marine Corps tells you to do what you know is right and
do it well. St. Sebastian’s holds those same ideals.”
Mateo, who briefly attended flight school with another of his
St. Sebastian’s classmates, Conor O’Neil ’05, now pilots a CH-53E
Super Stallion, a three engine helicopter. It’s the largest helicopter in
the free world.
“Whenever the Marine Corps require some heavy lifting, The
Super Stallion is called into action,” he said. “Providing assault
support for combat troops, heavy equipment, or heavy weaponry,
Pictured: Classmates Mike Tierney ’05, Chris Curran ’05, and Ken Mateo ’05
acting in Singin’ in the Rain during their senior year.
28 | ST. SEBASTIAN’S MAGAZINE Volume VIII, Issue I