Ever since the school's founding, the students at St. Bonaventure have been models of service year after year. However, there are those that have dedicated their lives to service by joining the ranks of the United States military. From across the United States to countries abroad, these alumni have taken the lessons, values, and education that they have acquired at St. Bonaventure and translated them to the life of a service member. Army reserve Captain Fred Woods (ret.), Army Sergeant Alex Ordoñez (ret.),  and Senior Airman Christian Garibay are three examples of the honor, courage, and commitment required for the military, and their time at St. Bonaventure has influenced who they have become today.

            Fred Woods, a former captain in the army reserves, had always felt a "calling" to join the military, but the St. Bonaventure experience provided him the discipline he needed for this kind of life. After enrolling in ROTC at San Diego State University and finishing at Georgia State University, Woods was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. "The education I received [at St. Bonaventure] better prepared me for college," said Woods, and Sister Celsus' saying "Hazy knowledge is no knowledge," has stuck with him to this day. Most people would expect to have a difficult time transitioning from the life of a college student to the life of a service member, but for Second Lieutenant Woods, it was seamless. He was an Eagle Scout, and both his father and older brother had served before him, so he was eager to follow in their footsteps. On top of this desire to serve, the dress code at St. Bonaventure and the teamwork developed on the tennis team provided him the tools he needed to make the adjustment to the military. The teachings of Christian values at St. Bonaventure were also important to Woods as it had taught him to have compassion and honesty towards others which allowed him to have a successful sixteen years of service.

            As a member of the class of 1995, Sergeant Alex Ordoñez is another example of the type of person whose leadership and dedication have transferred to life in the military. Ordoñez served for eight years as a chemical operations specialist in the Army, and the lessons he learned in high school helped him immensely. Being "humble, hungry, and smart" are three lessons learned in  his high school career as both a student and football player that he still carries with him. "Being confident is great, but being able to acknowledge areas needing improvement can be the key to success," said Ordoñez. You have to be "constantly and consistently looking for ways to improve and grow." Mr. Ordoñez's attendance at St. Bonaventure still remains an important part of his life. "I continue to have strong lifelong friendships with a number of people from my class. Because we were a 'smaller'class compared to public schools within Ventura, we had the ability to become closer with one another. I am a Seraph for life!" His faith, strengthened while at St. Bonaventure, was also a key component in his military career. "Faith provided stability for me in a world, at the time, a lot was unknown. No matter what happened or where I was stationed, God was (and continues to be) there for me."

               Senior Airman Christian Garibay is yet another example of the selfless alumni that have joined the armed forces. Garibay, who continues to serve today in his fourth year as an airman, works in Aircraft Armament Systems where he loads bombs and missiles on the F-15 Strike Eagle. Not only has he been stationed all over the country including Alaska and Virginia, he has also been deployed for six months to Southwest Asia. "I joined right out of high school," said Garibay. "It was the greatest decision I have ever made." The Air Force paid for his education after he joined, and he was able to get a degree while traveling the world. While the armed forces was a lifelong dream, Garibay's high school experience assisted him tremendously in his life as a service member. "The respect and discipline I learned from the classroom and the baseball field have helped me out a lot. Without that, I wouldn't be where I am today." And, yes, he believes that every student at St. Bonaventure should consider joining the armed forces because of how it helped him become the person he is."My main reason I joined was to serve this country. I really do love this country and everything it stands for. I believe everyone should serve this country at some point in their life." And like the other alumni who have served, Garibay's faith is prominent in his life. "It's gotten me through so much. Without my faith, I don't know where I would be today."