Alumni Veterans

Thank You for Your Service

St. Ignatius of Loyola asked us to give without counting the cost. No one demonstrates that selflessness more than our alumni who have served or are serving in the armed forces — some have made the ultimate sacrifice.

MILITARY SERVICE OF BROPHY'S FOUNDING FAMILY
William Henry Brophy, whose wife founded Brophy in his honor, left the life he was building in Arizona to serve in World War I as a Major in logistics. His son Frank Cullen Brophy later wrote this about his father's service (from "The Reluctant Banker"): Their outstanding work in keeping the vast distribution of Red Cross supplies constantly moving from Poland to Italy and along the Western Front was recognized as one of the remarkable achievements of World War I. (Frank was referring to his father and two friends who served with him — J.S. Douglas, the oldest son of Dr. James Douglas who gave William Henry Brophy his first start in business, and Tom Collins who worked in copper mining in Arizona and Michigan.)

William Henry Brophy's Descendants
His son Frank Cullen Brophy also served in World War I, spending time in France as a Lieutenant in field artillery. Grandson William Henry Brophy II was a P-47 fighter pilot in World War II and grandson Frank Cullen Brophy Jr. served in the Army during the Korean War.

Great-grandson John T. McChesney '68 made the ultimate sacrifice. McChesney served in the Army's 101st Airborne Battalion and died in combat in Vietnam. Great-grandson Matthew Brophy '77 graduated from the University of Arizona with an ROTC commission in '81 and became an Army Special Forces Captain, serving from 1981-88. He served in Panama as Detachment Commander in the 3rd Battalion's 7th Special Forces Group and also did a tour in El Salvador. Great-great-grandson Christian Brophy served in the Army's 1st Infantry Division and did a tour in Afghanistan.

Thank you to all of our military Men for Others. We will list the names of both veterans and active-duty service members (as we know of them) on this page and keep them in our prayers, as well as honor the memory of those who are no longer with us. If you have not sent us your information yet, submit it via this form or email the Director of Communications. Please note that, in some cases, alumni have submitted information on behalf of classmates. If you see errors or can supply missing information, please contact us.

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