Veterans // Stories // We Are ND // University of Notre Dame

Kelechi Ndukwe '02

Naval Commander Driven to Lead by Example

After graduating from Notre Dame’s ROTC program, Kelechi Ndukwe '02 was one of two African American officers on the ship in his first Navy posting. Now a commander, in 2021 he became the second Nigerian American to command a U.S. Navy destroyer and now serves as a mentor to younger sailors.

Bob Kruse

The '74 Duster Returns to ND

Editor’s Note: Domer Diaries is the newest storytelling series from the Alumni Association where members of the Notre Dame family tell their stories in their own words. This week’s Domer Diaries entry comes from Bob Kruse ’78, a former Naval and airline pilot who recently restored a 1974 Plymouth Duster as a near replica of the car he drove while a Notre Dame senior. He recently returned from an 11-day, 4,540-mile road trip from his home in Minneapolis through Notre Dame and several of his duty stations in Florida and Texas.…