Commander Kuyper shares more of his Army experience

By Fiona Parnell

Chris Kuyper, director of security operations, former Roanoke county police officer and Army veteran gave remarks at the Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 11. Along with active duty Sergeant Trevor Poulin, they spoke about the national holiday including its history and importance. They discussed their personal experiences, and commemorated the brave men and women who have served and lost their lives fighting for our country. 
In an interview, Kuyper described himself growing up as a quiet, reserved, smaller kid who wanted to pursue a field that would challenge him both mentally and physically to prepare him for future endeavors of life. Kuyper had no interest in joining the military until an Army recruiter visted his high school in his junior year. After multiple discussions with the recruiter, Kuyper ultimately decided that serving his country was the correct path. The decision to serve did not just come from his own personal goals, but also from his admiration for the individuals who serve and have served our nation.
Kuyper began his military career stationed at Ft. Hood Texas, recently renamed Ft Cavazos. Upon joining the military, Kuper’s family was shocked at his decision and swift transition to training camp. On the other hand his friends were not surprised as many of them had also enlisted. 
“We would usually take leave at the same time,” Kuyper said, “so it was not only great to see and hang out with them when we were home, but to also see the positive change in them. Literally, we felt we left for basic training as boys, but returned as men.”
Kuyper served in the Army as a Signal Intelligence Specialist in the 504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade. When asked about the purpose of his role, Kuyper said, “The mission of the brigade was to conduct multi-disciplined intelligence collection, exploitation, and analysis operations during contingency missions worldwide.” Kuyper served for three years until his enlistment period ended. Kuyper spent a few months back home in Buffalo, NY as he struggled with the choice to either reenlist or enroll in college. After careful consideration, in August of 1991 Kuyper decided that he would continue his military career and aspired to be a part of the Army’s Special Forces. Kuyper began filling out enlistment papers and taking tests to prepare for his next Army journey when a tragedy happened that would change his life path forever. 
On October 16, 1991, a mass casualty incident occurred at Luby’s Cafeteria in  Killeen, TX. Luby’s Cafeteria was a restaurant that Kuyper frequently ate at while stationed at Ft. Hood. As a result of this horrific incident, Twenty-three people were killed and as a result Kuyper withdrew his enlistment papers.
Subsequently, Kuyper began to search for a career in law enforcement to help prevent incidents like the one at Luby’s Cafeteria from ever happening again. In 1994 Kuyper moved to Roanoke County and was hired as a police officer and became a team leader on the Roanoke County SWAT. 
Upon returning home from service, many veterans experience various mental illnesses like PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, etc. due to the high levels of stress and traumatic events experienced during instances such as combat. 
“I have been fortunate enough not to have struggled with mental health challenges throughout my military and law enforcement career,” he said. “I give full credit to help[ing] me get through the daily challenges and life as a police officer to my wife, who is my rock and a great support system when I needed her. Not everyone can be a law enforcement and/or military spouse and navigate the challenges that come with those jobs successfully. A study found that 65-70% of first responders’ first marriages end in  divorce. We’ve been married for almost 25 years now”
A favorite memory of Kuyper’s from the military is when he was in Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, SC. One of Kuyper’s fellow platoon soldiers received a care package from his parents back in New Jersey. Once training day ended, he opened the package to find a Whopper from Burger King amongst the other goodies from home in the box. The soldier ended up cutting the burger into 12  slices and everyone in the room were able to take a bite. “I think I held that little piece of Whopper in my mouth for about ten minutes before I swallowed it. After being removed from the civilian world for months, you really learn to appreciate the little things in life.”  
During his time of duty as a member of SWAT, Kuyper was involved in many high profile incidents. An incident that haunts our community forever, the 2007 Virginia Tech school shooting, was one of Kuyper’s most significant endeavors while a part of the Roanoke County police force. As a result of the active threat phenomenon and Kuyper’s work in our community to prevent and respond to the threat, the FBI provided him with an Executive Fellowship position with their Active Shooter and Violence Reduction Unit in Washington, DC. Kuyper filled that position for two years until he retired on May 1, 2022.
In June 2023, North Cross Head of School Armistead Lemon asked Kuyper to apply for the Director of Security position following several conversations with her about campus security. “I feel blessed every single day that I get to spend time building a robust safety and security program at the school and to engage and build relationships with our North Cross community” Kuyper said, as he reflected on his time at North Cross. 
For Kuyper, he sees Veteran’s Day as “a formal day that we, as a country, can honor our military veterans and make them feel as special as they are. To me, every day is Veterans Day and I find myself seeking those who have served no matter where I am, so I can take a  moment from my day to thank them for their service.” 
“When I come across a veteran of  a foreign war, I love taking the time to speak with them about their service and sacrifice,” he said. “Every veteran has a story (or three), and I feel honored to have them share their story with me and to build a bond with them. We live in an amazing country and I am beyond  thankful we have people who would lay it all on the line to defend our Nation and for people they don’t even know”
Although Officer Kuyper has only been at North Cross for a short period of time, he has made a substantial and lasting impact already. Kuyper’s dedication to keeping the student body, faculty, and campus protected while also bringing light and perspective to our curriculum and student life is admirable and truly amazing to see. The North Cross community thanks Officer Kuyper for his unwavering commitment to not only keep our school safe, but his fight for the safety of all Americans. 
See more of Commander Kuyper’s military story at www.willishallherald.org

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