News Type: 
President's Blog Date: 
Friday, November 19, 2021 Byline: 
Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.)

This afternoon as the Corps of Cadets leaves campus for their first major leave of the school year, our Thanksgiving Break, we pause to consider all that we have to be thankful for in this school year.

• We are thankful for our cadets, each one of you, from the youngest cadet in the 7th grade to the senior officers on our Battalion Staff. You are the ones that make this school special by your hard work, achievement, grit, and pride. As you depart this campus for these well-earned days of rest at home, we hope you will carry the lessons you have learned in your time here and continue to be the living embodiment of our core values of respect, integrity, faith, character, and discipline in all that you do and say. We pray for each one of you...by name.
   
• We are thankful for all the parents and families who have placed your trust in us to educate, develop, and inspire your sons in body, mind, and spirit. You come from all corners of the globe and from all walks of life, representing a great diversity of creeds, colors, and worldviews...but you are united in the desire to provide the best education possible for your sons. You have a choice in how to prepare your son for the challenges of college and life beyond, and you have chosen us. We are grateful for your confidence and trust.
   
• We are thankful for the staff and faculty who work faithfully and sacrificially to support the mission of this school. You sustain the nurturing environment of structure, accountability, and expectation here at Fork Union Military Academy that facilitates the extraordinary student achievement we see each year. You are here because you believe in what we do here, and we are thankful for your commitment to our cadets.
   
• We are thankful for the alumni, Trustees, friends, and benefactors of this Academy. You are our evangelists and ambassadors throughout the world. You are the examples and evidence of our school's success. You support us with your prayers each day and your donations each year. Your gifts to our annual Academy Fund help us operate each year, as our low tuition does not cover all of our costs. Your gifts to our endowment ensure that we can continue our mission in the years to come. You are our connection to our past and you make possible our present and our future by your generous support. We appreciate and honor your stewardship.

And as Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Ephesus, we are thankful always and for everything to God, who is the giver of all things.
 

"...always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." —Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)

We pray that all will enjoy a safe, healthy, and blessed time of fellowship with family and friends during this Thanksgiving holiday.

Go FUMA!

Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.)
President
Fork Union Military Academy