A Marine’s new mission

Geoff Anthony ’25, a retired Marine Corps colonel, received his master’s in maritime studies in May. Now he’s applying the Marine motto, Semper Fidelis, or “Always Faithful,” to his new passion: studying and documenting military aircraft and ships lost at sea.

A lifelong passion for history and maritime issues led Anthony to ECU after COVID-19 disrupted plans to study abroad. “It ended up being the perfect choice,” he said.

Anthony’s studies have a personal mission: honoring his grandfather, a World War II bomber pilot shot down in the Pacific. After visiting the crash site in 2007, Anthony was inspired to work with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, recovering remains of lost service members. “That experience has been extraordinarily rewarding,” he said.

At ECU, Anthony has participated in recovery missions in Croatia, Portugal and Saipan and established the Colonel Geoffrey M. Anthony Scholarship to support students studying Marine Corps or U.S. naval military history.

“If I could just recommend one thing to anybody, it would be to make sure that as you’re pursuing your passion, you’re developing the next generation,” he said. “Whether that’s by offering advice, offering your time or offering your skills because at some point, you’re not going to be able to continue it, but whatever it is that you love, there will always be people behind you who love it just as much.”