“For God And Country”: A West Point Graduate’s Path To Priesthood

Father Michael Cerrone was born in 1947 and grew up on the south side of Philadelphia with two younger brothers and two younger sisters. His father had served in the Civilian Conservation Corps as a boy before enlisting (underage) in the Army. He served as an Infantryman, became an Officer through OCS, and was a World War II Veteran, having served in the Pacific. After the war, he had a break in service before returning to the Army and serving with the 11th Airborne Division in Augsburg, Germany. His father continued his Army career, eventually serving in Special Forces. As a child, Michael enjoyed learning Bavarian culture during his time in Germany, and a visit to Dachau left an impression on him. He recalls serving as an altar boy during Mass, and a visit to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo in August of 1958 was his “first religious experience” when Pope Pius XII gave the crowd a Papal blessing. He attended Pacelli High School in Columbus, Georgia (now part of the St. Anne School), which was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. He graduated in 1964, in the school’s sixth year of existence. He was a good student and thought about attending seminary following high school. He was accepted to Notre Dame, but wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and chose to attend the Military Academy instead. R-Day was a blur, and Michael remembers pinging around and reporting to the Man in the Red Sash. One summer, he participated in Detachment R, a Russian language assignment in Garmisch, Germany. He was considering branching Military Intelligence and Detachment R was a good opportunity. He did well academically at West Point, finishing in the top 20% and able to choose his preferred branch and post. He enjoyed his time in company A-4 and made lifelong friends. His Class was the expansion class, when the Corps increased from two Regiments to four, and his initial company G-2 became A-4. They were also the first Class to take leave for Christmas, but they also were the first to have a five-year obligation to serve. He remembers that Norm Schwarzkopf was a particularly influential instructor during his time at the Academy. He commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer detailed to Infantry, and his first assignment was at Ft. Ord, California, following several courses at Ft. Benning, including a course on the 4.2 inch mortar. Deploying to Vietnam, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment in the 198th Light Infantry Brigade of the 23rd Division (Americal). While in Vietnam, he was a Platoon Leader, an Executive Officer, and an Assistant G2. At one point, while stationed at Firebase Crittenberger, he was assigned to an interrogation unit, and he tried to “live by the Geneva Convention.” After returning from Vietnam in June 1970, he was assigned to Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, before reporting to a signals intelligence unit under the Army Security Agency in Augsburg in November 1970 with a follow-on assignment in Vicenza, Italy. In November 1973, he resigned his commission and returned to Southern California, where he attended the University of Southern California, working towards an advanced degree in international relations. In 1975, he entered the Maryknoll (Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers) seminary in Ossining, New York. The foreign missions of the Maryknoll Fathers appealed to him. He then spent time at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. After his ordination on May 30th (St. Joan of Arc’s feast day), he was assigned to the Savannah Diocese in 1981. He spent two years at St. Joseph in Macon before being assigned to the Cathedral Parish in Savannah. While in Savannah, he was doing the invocation for a review at a Catholic boy’s high school and the reviewing officer was the commander of the 24th Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, General Schwarzkopf, who recommended he become a chaplain since he “knew how to wear the uniform.” A few years later, at his Class Reunion in 1988, classmates also recommended that he become a chaplain. When he asked his father, he suggested at least serving as a Reserve Chaplain, and he received permission from the bishop to do so. When the 101st Airborne deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm, Father Cerrone joined the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment as a 44-year-old Reserve Chaplain. He remembers celebrating Mass one night in the desert under the stars and the sound of 200 Soldiers singing Silent Night. After the war, he remained on Active Duty and was assigned to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and later Ft. Hood, Texas. He describes the three best leaders he served with in the Army, Bob Clark, Tom Greco, and Jeanette Edmonds. He retired from the Army in 2007, and initially worked in Dallas, Texas, before returning to Savannah, Georgia. He has suffered health issues in retirement, but now he has the freedom to go to and serve where he is needed. Near the end of the interview, he explains his return to West Point for the 125th Anniversary of Most Holy Trinity and a dedication of the Four Chaplains Garden. He also discusses his book about his “French girlfriend,” St. Joan of Arc. He concludes by reflecting on what West Point means, describing the institution as a “gift to the nation.”