Veterans Day spotlight: Pat Senft, Bancroft School Principal
Pat Senft wasn’t what you might think of as the “typical” Marine recruit.
“I was 27, almost 28 years old when I left for boot camp,” recalls Senft, who now serves as principal of The Bancroft School in Mt. Laurel, NJ.
His father was a Marine in Vietnam – and instilled in Senft a lifelong sense of responsibility, respect and discipline that are the hallmarks of servicemen and women. Somewhere in the back of Senft’s mind, there was always a sense of duty to serve his country – a calling he wanted to fulfill.
“My dad never pushed or steered me in that direction – but he was a proud Marine, and always spoke of it in such high regard. That always spoke to me,” he said.
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Still, when Senft graduated from high school, he wasn’t sure what the future would hold. A conversation with his mother persuaded him to give college a try first.
“Military service was something I weighed heavily during high school. One night, my mom said ‘Do me a favor: Give college two years, and if it isn’t working out, or you decide you still want to go – I will be fine with that,’” he said.
So he did – and college was a good fit for the 18-year-old.
“Once I got there and got settled, I thrived. My mom’s approach worked,” he says. “But there was always something in the back of my head. I knew I wanted to join the Marines, but I never figured out how to do it while I was in college.”
Senft graduated with his degree and a teaching certificate, and landed a full-time teaching position in Charlotte, N.C. Like many young adults, Senft was trying to find his place in the world – and the Marine Corps was still there in his mind.
After about three years of talking to recruiters, he knew the time was right. He enlisted – and at the end of his fourth year of teaching, he departed for boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.
Senft was assigned to a Marine Corps Reserve unit in Charlotte, where he worked in logistics, ensuring the battalions attached to his unit had the resources they needed for success.
The Reserves were a good fit for the educator and his soon-to-be wife. He returned to teaching in September, and was able to balance his growing teaching career with fulfilling his service requirements during monthly drill weekends – and a two-week requirement during the year. When the couple relocated to New Jersey, he was able to transfer to a reserve unit close to home.
Senft served as a Marine Reservist for a total of eight years – from 1998 until he was honorably discharged as a Corporal in 2005.
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Today, Senft says many of the qualities of the Marine Corps carry over into his work at The Bancroft School.
“The biggest one is the ‘can-do’ attitude of a Marine: You can’t and won’t be defeated; you won’t allow yourself to be,” he says. “No matter what barriers, for our staff, and for the students. The Marines have a saying: ‘We can do the impossible; it may just take a little longer.’”
“Just like the military, this is a job that’s bigger than yourself. We’re in this together, as a team. But at the end, we all have a common experience we’ve shared – and it builds trust; a brotherhood. You know you can depend on each other.”
His own service aside, Senft admires those – especially younger men and women – who choose to enlist.
“It’s amazing to think that our armed forces – many of the men and women out there are 18-, 19-year-old kids. It is a tremendous commitment. To me, it’s very impressive – and I have the utmost respect for anyone who serves.”
“Whenever I meet someone who has served, I try to thank them for their service – and not just on Veteran’s Day. It seems like a few simple words, but it means a lot.”
