Lt. Col. Seth Morgulas '99 Directing National Guard's Hurricane Relief Efforts

Excerpted from the website of the Horace Mann School:

November 11 marks Veterans Day, and, in a new tradition, Horace Mann School hosts a special program to honor members of the HM community who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Services, or who are currently serving our country in various branches of the Military.

This year’s event was scheduled for November 8, 2012, when alumni, administrators, faculty, staff and their families were invited to a reception to recognize veterans and members of the military. The event, scheduled to take place at the historic 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan, had to be cancelled, because the Armory is currently housing 500 New York National Guard Soldiers and Naval Militia deployed to assist in relief efforts in the state following Hurricane Sandy. Lieutenant Colonel Seth Morgulas ’89 plans and directs the operations and missions performed by these troops, along with 4,000 other men and women of the National Guard, in his position as the Joint Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (J3) of the Joint Task Force established to support recovery efforts during Hurricane Sandy.

The Horace Mann School Alumni and Development Office was able to schedule its Third Annual Veterans Day event at the Armory, as it had in 2011, through the assistance of Lt. Col. Morgulas, who was previously based there. After serving at this legendary home of “The Fighting 69th” Lt. Col. Morgulas, then a Major, served through an office at The Harlem Armory. This past summer the HM alumnus—and Horace Mann School parent—was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Training, Security and Intelligence at 53rd Troop Command in Cortlandt Manor, New York. A 1993 Distinguished Military Graduate of Johns Hopkins University, who earned a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, Lt. Col. Morgulas was commissioned in May 1993. After several years of active service he worked, from 1999 to 2002, as an associate in mergers and acquisitions and as an associate and assistant portfolio manager at two New York financial firms. He returned to active service in 2002, and served in Iraqi Freedom II/III.

Working under Brigadier General Michael C. Swezey, Assistant Adjutant General-Army, New York National Guard, Lt. Col. Morgulas has been running all National Guard-related hurricane relief efforts at the operational level. He’s been involved with this operation since the end of October, when Sandy set its sights on the New York region. “Our headquarters is organizing the work of all New York National Guard soldiers involved, whether Army, Air, Naval, Militia… That’s 4,500 troops from New York and at least four other states,” said Lt. Col. Morgulas. “I’m based in Cortlandt Manor where we have our Emergency Operations Center. We control all the operators moving in New York right now. The 69th Regiment Armory, where Horace Mann was going to have its Veterans Day event, is in use housing about 500 soldiers,” Lt. Col. Morgulas said of the majestic National Historic Landmark that was built in 1906.

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