Like many, Lee Kindlon '98 has a
rather large competitive gene inside — it led him to a great
career as an offensive lineman at Williams.
But it's what followed after
graduation that sets Kindlon apart from most.
Shortly after earning his law degree
in August of 1999, Kindlon decided to take an unexpected turn.
“I walked up to the front of the
recruiter's office and said, “Hi, my name is Lee
Kindlon and I want to join the Marines.”
Today, Kindlon lives in Albany, still
trying to satisfy his competitive nature by working at Kindlon,
Shanks & Associates — his father's law firm —
and specializing in criminal defense, civil rights and
veterans' affairs.
“One of the things I realized
when I was living in New York City and working at an advertising
agency was I really missed the camaraderie, the togetherness of
being part of a team,” Kindlon said. “That was what
coach (Dick) Farley always taught and really impressed upon us
— the value of being part of something.”
It was during his time in New York
City that Kindlon decided it was time to go into the Marines. His
father Terrence has been a Marine during the Vietnam War and that,
combined with his competitive nature and longing to be a part of
something, made it an easy decision.
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| Williamstown's own Lee Kindlon
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He was commissioned into the Marines
as a 2nd Lieutenant on Aug. 11, 2000 and spent time at
Camp Lejune in North Carolina serving as a Judge Advocate and
working as a legal assistance prosecutor.
In September of 2005, Kindlon was
shipped out for a tour of duty in Iraq, thinking he would be in an
office, advising the command on punishments, rules of engagement
matters, and interacting with the local community.
“I went over to be the guy who
sits in an office, but in the first 72 hours an infantry battalion
came in and said, “hey, we need a lawyer,” Kindlon
recalled. “I very quickly found myself going from friendly
confines of an office to the streets of downtown Fallujah.”
Despite the danger, and there was
plenty of that to be found, so much so that Kindlon was a member of
several patrols, armed with an M-16 and a nine millimeter, Kindlon
thrived, doing what he loved while being part of a group, being
part of something.
“The Marines stressed group over
the individual, so I guess part of it [his tour] was very emotional
for me,” Kindlon said. “Hanging out with the guys and
seeing their dedication to the task was inspiring, I really stopped
griping about a lot of things in my life after that.”
Despite what he described as “a
lot of bad days,” Kindlon was able to immerse himself into
the Fallujah community, often times delivering soccer balls and
school supplies. By the time his seven-month tour had ended, he
felt he had made a connection.
“Toward the end, I felt we had a
pretty good relationship,” with the community,” Kindlon
said. “It was actually quite civilized and normal.”
In June of
2006, Kindlon's time on active duty ended, although he
eventually re-upped as a reserve. He moved to Albany with his wife
and his newborn son Drew and started down yet another path that
those of you who knew him might have described as unexpected
— he went to work at his father's law firm.
“It's funny because when I was 15 or 16
and a student at Mount Greylock, I knew I did not want to be an
attorney because my dad was one,” Kindlon said. “The
work is physically and mentally exhausting, but I love it. There is
a spirit of competition I've never really gotten over and
it's nice to have this as my outlet now.”
Back in
November of 1997, Kindlon's outlet was on the football field,
playing guard for the Ephs. That, of course, means he played in
what is widely considered “The Game of the Century,” a
stunning
victory over Amherst that no Hollywood scriptwriter would have
dared put on paper for fear of being labeled a liar.
Amherst
came into the contest at 7-0 and Williams at 6-1. The crowd of nearly 12,000
people bore witness to a wild back-and-forth affair, with the Ephs
jumping out to a 24-7 lead and Amherst rallying for a 31-24
advantage.
Again the
Ephs fought back, taking a 45-31 lead only to have the Lord Jeffs
rally for a second time. The visitors took a 46-45 lead with 1:49
left in the game when they faked kicking the extra point that would
have tied the game and instead threw a two-point conversion pass
that made it 46-45 Amherst.
The game
ended when Williams first-year Colin Vataha nailed a 27-yard field
goal with only two seconds left on the clock.
For
Kindlon, it was amazing way to end his career at Williams. Making
the story jump from interesting to legendary was the fact Kindlon
played most of the second half with a broken leg.
That's right, he would not come out of the
game.
“I
felt it every play,” Kindlon recalls. “I couldn't
push off of it. But I believed as long as I was helping out the
team, I would play – so I kept plugging. I needed to finish
that game on my own terms.”
The
game-winning drive started at the Ephs own 20-yard line, but
Kindlon said there were not a lot of doubters in the Williams
huddle.
“We
had come back a few times that year, so we had the confidence it
could be done,” Kindlon said. “A lot of people in that
huddle … I've never seen guys that loose in a
situation like that, no one doubted we were going to drive to the
field and score.
“I
just remember standing in the huddle before that drive started and
saying to myself, 'this is so great,” and just being so
motivated by that moment,” Kindlon said.
And by now
we all know what happens when Lee Kindlon gets motivated.
