BELLEVUE, Neb. -- A standing ovation honored Terry Buschelman of Bellevue, Neb., and a native of Fordyce, Neb., at a recent awards night at Mt. Michael Benedictine School in Elkhorn, Neb., last week.

The award was not from Mt. Michael, but from Yankton's Mount Marty College, of which Buschelman is an alumnus. MMC President James T. Barry was present at the awards night to present a special proclamation to acknowledge Buschelman's accomplishments.

Attention was brought to Buschelman after coaching the Mt. Michael soccer team to the 2005 state championship title. Most recently, Buschelman was named the 2005 Nebraska Soccer Coach of the year.

More importantly Buschelman was honored for his way of life, the Benedictine way.

"It is the 70th year for Mount Marty," Barry said. "We are celebrating by honoring alumni for their accomplishments and Terry is one of them."

Barry also cited Buschelman's support for Benedictine education. Not only is he an '73 alum but his wife, Vickie (formerly Lethcoe of Yankton), is a '74 alum, son Chris is a 2005 graduate and youngest son Kyle will be a freshman come fall. He also was cited for excellence in education while teaching at Mt. Michael for the past eight years, joining the staff after retirement from military life.

The Benedictine set of values - hard work and prayer - was instilled early in Buschelman's upbringing.

"Not only was it taught to me by my father, but the nuns at grade school in Fordyce and then at Cedar Catholic," Buschelman said.

He said his teachers at Cedar Catholic were also Benedictine nuns and the concept of maintaining Christian ideas in all parts of his life was intertwined even then.

"Sr. Rose at Cedar comes to mind immediately when thinking of my mentors along with Sr. Rhoda at Mount Marty," said Buschelman of the many nuns he came in contact with over his learning years. "The ideas of integrity and honesty, which they incorporated in their teaching, have served me well."

A quarter-century in the Marine Corps, moving in circles around the world and doing things most people don't even dream of, were a direct result of the concepts Buschelman learned from his Benedictine mentors.

"They kept me thinking the right way," said Buschelman. "They have been guiding lights over the years."

Buschelman retired from the Marine Corps after 25 1/2 years. He joined his freshman year at Mount Marty College when sentiment for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam urged him to enlist. He graduated four years later with a group of men called the "original 12" -- the first men to graduate from Mount Marty, coming in 1969, the first year the college turned co-educational, and sticking it out until the diplomas were granted.

During graduation ceremonies, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps -- a dream he held dear since he was very young. He took to heart John F. Kennedy's words, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Joining the Marine Corps seemed the only way to go for Buschelman.

"Sure there was danger at times, but I met people and had opportunities to do amazing things," Buschelman added.

He was a battalion commander, working out of Okinawa, and a military liaison to the Japanese Armed Forces, Republic of Korean Armed Forces and the Philippians military forces as well.

The Marine brass immediately zeroed in on the knowledge Buschelman expressed because of the Asian studies he completed at Mount Marty under Sisters Rhoda and Jacqueline Ernster. When he was personally asked to serve in Desert Shield, he knew he had made his mark. His reputation was spreading. He could be counted on and trusted.

The ground campaign used in Desert Shield had Buschelman's fingerprints all over it. He was asked to join the team to plan a strategic campaign based on the knowledge of Far Eastern cultures he had acquired over the years. He was instrumental in writing and designing the attack plans.

Today, Buschelman suffers from primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Doctors have determined it is service connected to the time he spent in the Middle East.

"I never let it stop me from doing what I need to do," said Buschelman. "I find ways to continue to live my life my way."

Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha was the last military stop for Buschelman. Although he was stationed out of the Pentagon, he served on a joint team of the four armed forces and was second-in-command. He flew with the E4B aircraft, which is an exact duplicate of Air Force One. One of the main differences comes with its ability to fight a war from the air, if need be.

Recognition of his accomplishments is not something new to Buschelman. During his service years he was awarded the Bronze Star, and a second Meritorious Service Medal and a Defense Superior Medal.

After retirement from the service, Buschelman surveyed the many opportunities he was offered from the civilian work force. But Buschelman still had one dream. Could he teach? Could he do for this upcoming generation what his mentors had done for him?

During a stint in Yuma, Ariz., Buschelman added a master's degree in education and administration from Pepperdine in California to his BA in Social Studies and History from Mount Marty. The Marine Corp allowed him to complete the program and even hired instructors to come to the base and teach the six interested military men, of which he was one.

"If I could do that, mentor the next generation, gain the respect of the students, parents and administration, then I would be complete," Buschelman said.

He treats the young men in his classes with fairness much like the men who served him in his military experiences. He is there for them before, during and after classes. In his coaching, it is not about wins and losses but about good sportsmanship and honorable actions.

Buschelman feels a great responsibility to guide this young generation into the future -- just like the Benedictine sisters who taught him 30 years ago.