Pease Takes Great Pride in the Red, White and Blue

During Dartmouth field hockey's preseason photo shoot this fall, Myah Pease took a photo with the American flag.
Myah Pease American Flag

The Red, White and Blue has a special meaning to not only Myah, but also her entire family, as both her parents graduated from the United States Naval Academy.

"I was raised to have pride in America and realize how lucky I am to have the people who protect our freedoms," said Myah. "That can easily be taken for granted."

It's something that's never taken for granted by Myah, who has learned a lot of important principles from her father and former Navy SEAL Alex Pease.

"You would never know that he's a Navy SEAL," said Myah. "One of his philosophies is that if somebody tells you they're a Navy SEAL, they're not a Navy SEAL because they don't walk around talking about it."

For Alex, who also earned his MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck Business School, going into the Navy was as he said, "a bit of a calling."

"I decided I wanted to be in the Navy when I was about seven years old," he said. "My father and grandfather were in the Navy, and my grandfather was in World War II. I grew up hearing stories about the Battle of Lady Gulf, which was the last great Naval Battle in history."

Alex initially wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps.

"At the time, I was convinced by a number of mentors, including my parents, to shoot for the Naval Academy instead," he said. "When I got to the Navy, I was very quickly introduced to SEAL teams, which was a bit of a game-changer for me. It was much more closely aligned with my personality in terms of small teams, unconventional warfare, low-intensity conflict, as well as not operating inside the traditional hierarchy of the military construct."

Alex went on to graduate from the Navy in 1994, joining SEAL teams and spending six years operating entirely in Central and South America.

He left the Navy in 2000 ahead of Myah's birth.

"On September 11, 2011, he was sitting in front of the TV with me," said Myah. "We were just attacked on our home soil. 'Do I go back to the Navy? My brothers need me.'

"He ended up deciding to stay with his family."

That call to service has translated to Myah's life, even though Myah's path to college was different than her father's.

"Everybody I interacted with in the military was called to service in some way," said Alex. "Service to their country, service to the team. That's a huge lesson and translates to everything."

Alex sees a service orientation in Myah.
Oct. 02, 2022; Durham, New Hampshire, USA; Dartmouth Big Green Myah Pease (16) during a non conference matchup between Dartmouth and UNH at Memorial Field. The Wildcats defeated the Big Green by a score of 5-2. Photo by Brian Foley for Foley-Photography.

Oct. 02, 2022; Durham, New Hampshire, USA; Dartmouth Big Green Myah Pease (16) during a non conference matchup between Dartmouth and UNH at Memorial Field. The Wildcats defeated the Big Green by a score of 5-2. Photo by Brian Foley for Foley-Photography.

"Myah loves being a captain of the field hockey team and loves it because I think she feels inspired to help her team come together and rally around its values," said Alex. "I don't think she views it as having anything to do with her.

"She views it as serving the team."

Much of Myah's work ethic can be traced back to her upbringing.

"For either of my kids, I never made their school lunches, I didn't do their laundry and I didn't make their beds," said Alex. "I've expected them to do that. Myah has always been a very independent person."

Alex recounts one story that led to a lesson of personal accountability.

"It would be 45 degrees outside, which in North Carolina is cold, and Myah would insist on not wearing a jacket or wearing shorts," said Alex. "I'd tell her she was going to be cold. She said she wouldn't be.

"I particularly remember standing in line at the voting booth one year," Alex continued. "She was about six years old, and it was freezing cold. She was trembling, shaking so hard and I said I told you. She knew she wasn't allowed to complain."

Myah learned something that day.

"I think Myah learned in that moment that she's in charge of her own decisions, but she has to live with the consequences of those decisions," said Alex.

Myah learned discipline from a young age through her father, which has carried forward.

"Discipline is one of my core values," said Myah. "I don't leave my house without making my bed. I arrive on time to places. I do everything to the best of my ability, which was drilled into me from a young age by my parents.
Myah Pease field hockey action versus the Princeton Tigers

Myah Pease field hockey action versus the Princeton Tigers

"My parents, and grandfather, gave up a lot to be in the Navy and serve our country."

When Alex served the country, he learned a lot (which he has passed along to Myah). When describing SEALS, he said they have "an unbelievable level of emotional toughness" and "an unbelievable commitment to the mission."

"There is nothing a SEAL won't do," said Alex. "That universally gets forged in BUD/S (the SEALS training program), but it probably started as part of one's upbringing.

"SEALS will not fail at whatever mission they're given," Alex continued. "It starts with the importance of protecting the country and that mission, but it cascades down to the tactics of the specific order of the day."

Alex also touched on the, as he said, "unbelievably consistent set of values and a high, high level of integrity to those values" of SEALs.

"There is an unwavering belief in the power of the team and your teammates. Never turn your back on your team," he said. "We actually don't call ourselves SEALs; we call ourselves team guys. Even to this day, I've been out for just over 20 years, and still when I meet a guy, he'll call me brother and a team guy. There's just a band of brothers that's unlike anything in the world.

"I think that's one of the things Myah really loves about field hockey and loves about the Dartmouth community," Alex continued. "It embodies a lot of that same feeling."

Take a look at our second goal from this afternoon, also off a corner, the fourth of the season from Myah Pease! pic.twitter.com/6lRafcsWG1
— DartmouthFieldHockey (@DartmouthFH) October 2, 2022

Myah has the discipline to be her best self, in service of her team.

"Her work ethic is second to none," said Alex. "She and I used to go to the gym in the morning at 4:45 a.m. before school. When I was sleepy, she'd always be the one down there waking me up.

"Even during COVID, she continued to work out at 5 in the morning."

That work ethic translates to all aspects of Myah's life.

"Myah is very disciplined around her schoolwork," said Alex. "That notion of self-sacrifice to accomplish something really meaningful is something she's certainly willing to do."

Myah is like her father in another way.

"He will never ask anything of other people that he won't do himself," she said. "I want to walk the walk, so I can inspire my teammates to want to work their hardest and do the best they can."

Through service to others, whether it's Alex and his military background or Myah and her experience on a collegiate athletics team, the father and daughter share so much. They don't have any specific traditions on Veterans Day (which recognizes all those current and past who have served), but they have one tradition on Memorial Day (a day that honors those who have fallen in service of the country).

"On Memorial Day, I actually make my dad do the Murph Challenge," said Myah. "It's a one-mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups and 300 air squats, followed by a mile run. I started doing cross fit three years ago, so I brought my dad along with me. Lieutenant Murphy was a Navy SEAL who died in the story Lone Survivor, and got the medal of honor for it.

"This workout in-person is really special because of the way the CrossFit community rallies around it and recognizes its gravity," Myah continued. "Everyone does some version of the workout, scaled to their abilities, to honor Lieutenant Murphy and others who have fallen serving our country."

Myah's father actually knew Lieutenant Murphy.
Myah Pease field hockey action versus University of Massachusetts

Myah Pease field hockey action versus University of Massachusetts

"I know a lot of the people who were impacted by that particular chain of events in the Lone Survivor," said Alex. "It's a very personal thing for me and the fact that the Murph Challenge has memorialized that spirit of what Memorial Day is all about, is really important, because ultimately, Memorial Day is about the warriors who have made the ultimate sacrifice."

It's a very emotional day for Alex.

"Myah understands what it's all about," he said. "She's heard the stories, and she's even met some of the people who were impacted. And she tries to make it very real and very personal.

"It reflects Myah's discipline and commitment to a set of values that she wants to model for people."

The Murph Challenge occurs on Memorial Day in May. Six months later is Veterans Day in November; the lessons Alex takes from the meaning of Veterans Day are applicable to everyday life, even for those not in the military.

"Veterans Day is a bit more of a celebration, recognition and reflection on what service means," said Alex. "I believe everybody should serve their country in some capacity. I don't care if it's AmeriCorps or Peace Corps or Teach for America. But I think that notion of serving something bigger than yourself is important and unfortunately, increasingly lost on some of the generations that have benefited from some of the sacrifices of our ancestors."

It definitely isn't lost on Myah.

"You don't have the freedoms we have in America everywhere else around the world and I just think we're so lucky," said Myah. "Whenever people say you're a Navy SEALs' daughter, it all makes so much sense now.

"It just gives me this huge burst of pride," she continued. "There are a lot of principles surrounding the military that apply really well to everyday life of people, and especially athletes.

"It definitely made me the person I am today."

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