2023 Catholic Schools Week

The saving of a soldier’s life leads a Navy doctor to live his destiny

As a senior medical officer in the U.S. Navy, John Kennedy has overseen the care of about 800 U.S. sailors and Marines while being deployed in the Baltic Sea. Here, he shares a photo with his wife, Mary Kathryn (Allen) Kennedy and their two daughters, Vivian and Mary Eileen. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

When John Kennedy shares his journey to becoming a senior medical officer in the U.S. Navy, one of the crucial turning points came before he was even born—when his grandfather was struggling to live after being wounded in the Korean War.

“My grandfather served in the Army, and the only way he was able to survive his wounds was because of a military physician,” says 29-year-old Kennedy about his grandfather, Jerry Kennedy. “So I feel responsible to give back for him getting that second chance of life. That’s the only reason my dad exists, and I, my brother and my sister exist.”

Lt. Kennedy not only grew up with that story, he grew up in a family where his parents—John and Maria Kennedy—served in the Navy. His education at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Indianapolis also influenced the direction of his life and his path to becoming a doctor.

“Our Lady of Lourdes introduced me to the medical field and created a stable group of friends for me,” he says. “I met my best friends in Boy Scouts. One of the dads was a trauma orthopedic surgeon, Dr. David Brokaw. When I was in the seventh grade, I went to soccer practice and ended up breaking my leg. I went to Dr. Brokaw to get it fixed. And I thought, ‘I’d love to do this.’ After that, everything I did was geared toward becoming a physician.”

That dream and the influence of Catholic education continued at Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis.

“Scecina set me up for success, to be totally honest,” says the 2012 graduate who ran track and cross country during his time there. “It really did in so many ways. Scecina also taught me about balancing sports and academics.”

He also appreciated Scecina’s Franciscan influence so much that he wanted to continue it by getting his medical degree at the Marian University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, graduating in 2021.

He now serves as the senior medical officer for the USS Gunston Hall, which has included being deployed in the Baltic Sea for three months.

“My job was essentially to oversee the care of about 800 U.S. sailors and Marines while they were on deployment. I acted as a primary care physician and an emergency medical provider. I was the only one for all 800.”

Now he is stationed at the U.S. Navy Base in Norfolk, Va. It’s a family commitment to the Navy that he shares with his younger brother, Michael Kennedy, an F18 naval flight officer in the Top Gun tradition.

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to about what’s going on in current events and how that affects our mission and our readiness,” John Kennedy says. “My brother and I are very close.”

Kennedy also relies on the support of his wife, Mary Kathryn (Allen) Kennedy, a 2009 graduate of St. Barnabas School and a 2013 graduate of Roncalli High School, both in Indianapolis.

“I had a crush on her for about seven years,” Kennedy says. “We were set up on our first date by my aunt and her mom. She’s awesome. I couldn’t do the things I do and be who I am without her.”

They have two daughters, 3-year-old Mary Eileen and 1-year-old Vivian. As parents, they also strive to share the values and the faith that were so much a part of their Catholic education.

“My wife and I are both practicing Catholics,” he says. “We place a large emphasis on our faith in teaching our daughters. Our faith has kept us strong, especially during my deployment. It’s really nice to be able to fall back on our Catholic faith.”

It has helped lead him to the life he has always believed he was destined to have.

“I absolutely love my job. If I re-did my life, I wouldn’t change a darn thing.” †