On the Friday before Spring Break, Cadet Executive Officer Gregory Losee stood before his fellow ROTC students and gave the standard safety brief - precautionary advice given before any collegiate vacation. Losee ended it as he usually would.
"The last thing I said was: 'By Monday...[we] want to see all of your faces back,'" Losee said.
That comment would come back to haunt Losee a week later, because it was the last thing he ever said to junior history major Kevin Breen.
Breen - a residential advisor at Spalding Quad, a member of Canisius' ROTC program, and a member of the Pershing Rifles military fraternity - was killed in a car accident on Interstate 99 in Centre County, Pa. Sunday morning. The Merrick, N.Y. native was on his way back from a Pershing Rifles convention in Baltimore, Md.
The junior was driving his 2004 Jeep Cherokee back to UB. Ian Richardson, the Squad Tactical Officer of the ROTC program, sat in the passenger's seat. Breen was attempting to switch lanes when he lost control of the vehicle; the Jeep slid counterclockwise into a median and flipped numerous times, severely damaging the vehicle, according to the Pennsylvania State Police report.
Breen was pronounced dead soon after the crash from the head injuries he sustained. Richardson was treated for bruising and lacerations, but he has since recovered. The casualty was made official at approximately 2:15 p.m., and LTC Paul M. Baker - a Canisius professor of military science - was tasked with relaying the difficult news to Breen's comrades and family.
"Imagine that you were doing something fun on a Sunday afternoon, and all of a sudden your uncle, your father, or brother...calls you up and tells you one of your friends is dead," Baker said. "You get a lot of different reactions."
The other Pershing Rifle members who were traveling from the convention in a separate vehicle found out about the accident in horrifying fashion. Richardson accidentally dialed sophomore biomedical sciences major Josh Davison while he was asleep a few moments after the crash. Connor Thrun, a student at Canisius, answered the phone and listened to Richardson's panic.
It wasn't until hours later that they received a text message confirming Breen's passing.
"I still remember the text message," said Jacob Greenwald, a freshman nursing major. "The text message verbatim said, 'Kevin is dead. Ian is hurt, but he'll be all right.'"
The military training that the members of the ROTC program received couldn't prepare them for the sheer shock of losing one of their own.
"When you go to guys like us that serve in the military, I think every one of us would say at some point we're prepared to deal with the loss of a good friend," Losee said. "But not here at school. We're still kids here."
Those who knew Breen said he was a quality and unique individual. He aspired to have a career in the military and was admired by many for giving full effort to each of the three organizations he was a part of. Breen went through numerous sleepless nights to stay on top of his commitments.
He was in high spirits every day despite being so busy. Breen's optimism was one of the attributes that left a lasting memory on Baker, as well as others who knew him.
"He was happy," Baker said. "You never saw him complaining, angry at anybody, or frustrated, complaining about what he was going through in ROTC or academically."
His personality resonated just as much as his work ethic. Breen was also known for his numerous quirks, which included fully buttoning his dress shirt without a tie and his signature bounce when he walked.
Breen also constantly sported a green fleece hat. He was occasionally jeered for wearing it, but senior psychology major Jennifer Baker, a former Spaulding RA, knew the hat was important to him.
"He wore this fleece hat all the time in the summer, and after I've known him for probably a year and a half, he told me it was because he was really shy and it made him feel comfortable," Baker said. "My favorite thing is that last year...he never wore his hat anymore because he really loved everyone."
Breen was especially happy while his was at the Pershing Rifles convention. His fraternity brothers described him as "full of life" after getting a chance to see his family that week. They were a few of the last people who'd see their joyful comrade before his passing.
Some of his fellow Spaulding RAs last saw him enthusiastically fulfilling his RA duties the Friday before break.
On Monday night, both former and current RAs gathered together to watch Batman movies in his honor; Breen always adored films.
But as the tears flowed Tuesday morning, it was clear that the pain was still there. Justin Muzzi, a director in Greiner Hall, and Mary Gallivan, assistant director for residential life, had to help the Spaulding RA staff cope.
It was difficult, as they were also trying to come to terms with the loss themselves.
"It's hard because I feel sad. But it's not about us sometimes - it's about these guys," Muzzi said. "It hurts me almost as much to watch them be as sad as they are because all I want to do is make them feel better, and you can't in a situation like this."
Breen was known as a loving individual by his family. Ralph G. Reiser, Breen's uncle, said his nephew always found time for his family, even when immersed in his other commitments.
Breen visited his family in the week prior to his passing, and Reiser believes that helped soften the blow.
"It was this dedication to and love of family that led Kevin to unknowingly make that fortuitous decision that would serve to lessen the pain of his untimely death for his family," Reiser said. "He had no way of knowing that by taking the time to make this visit, he would be giving his immediate family the opportunity to see and visit with him one last time before his sudden and untimely death. Kevin's consideration for and love of his family made this lasting difference in the lives of his loved ones."
But Reiser noted there was still that feeling of emptiness.
"Kevin was not a 'glass half-filled' young man," Reiser said. "Whether it was love of family, devotions to friends, devotion to studies or pursuit of his obligations, including his ROTC obligations, Kevin's aim was to fill the glass completely and to continue doing so on a daily basis. [Without] his continued actual presence in our lives, the glass is now not just half empty, it is completely empty."
Breen's wake will be held in the Walker Funeral Home at 2039 Merrick Ave. in Merrick, N.Y. on Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The funeral mass is on Saturday at Cure of Ars Church at 2323 Merrick Ave. at 9:30 a.m. The burial will take place at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, N.Y.
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Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
