LAWRENCE — Yesterday was a day of firsts in Lawrence.
A 2003 Central Catholic High School graduate was commissioned an officer in the Navy, where he plans to become a doctor, leading to a first-of-its-kind ceremony at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
With a salute, a coin and a plaque, Chad Pusateri, 23, of Methuen was made an ensign, just yards from the field where he played football as a teen, both as a fullback and a defensive end for the Raiders.
Pusateri will be promoted to lieutenant once he graduates from medical school, said Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Hall, who conducted the ceremony with Lt. Aren Cibia. The pair are with Navy Recruiting District New England in Boston.
"People talk a lot about service to their country and what better way to do that than to heal them when they are hurting?" said Pusateri, who is studying osteopathic medicine at University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, where he studied neuroscience.
Pusateri's mother and stepfather, Laura and Jeffrey Janco of Methuen, were joined by Francisco Urena, the city's director of Veterans Services and a small gathering of family and friends at the stadium, which was renovated in 2006.
"This is one of the proudest days of my life," said Laura Janco. "He is not just joining them, but becoming a doctor for the Navy."
Pusateri joined the Navy because he was attracted by its Health Profession Scholarship Program, which pays for tuition, fees, books, and equipment rental at medical school.
"This is another step forward to becoming a doctor, living a happy life and helping others," he said.
Pusateri, already an emergency medical technician, said he is inspired by his patients.
"To have the ability to go into someone's room, comfort someone in their time of need, be there to help them is one of the greatest feelings in the world," he said.
Pusateri said he has wanted to be a doctor for as long as he can remember. Although he will be the first in his family to become a doctor, he is not the only one with a medical career. His mother and stepfather both work at Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen. She is a respiratory therapist, and he is a nurse.
Pusateri has become a personal trainer for Mayor Michael Sullivan in the Biggest Loser competition against Methuen Mayor William Manzi. The mayors are Central Catholic alums.
"I'm ecstatic," Hall said of Pusateri. "I think he will make an outstanding naval officer from what I've seen — his diligence, poise, demeanor, professionalism and maturity."
Being commissioned at the stadium meant a lot to Pusateri.
"I wanted to have (the ceremony) at the stadium to pay homage to the veterans," he said.
Coincidentally, yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the death of Marine Lt. Cpl. Greg Kent, a Lawrence High track star, who gave up a chance to participate in the Olympic games when he joined the Marines to fight in Vietnam. He died March 28, 1968, in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.
