The Mason Spirit

Barry McCabe carries a Mason flag with him on all of his travels.

Barry McCabe: The Flag Bearer

Barry McCabe shows his Mason pride halfway across the world from Fairfax. A civilian contractor with the U.S. government, he has spent the past 21 months in Iraq.

He contacted the George Mason University Alumni Association about obtaining several Mason flags to bring with him overseas and has made it his personal mission to get his photo taken with the flag in various locales in the Middle East, as well as Western Europe.

“It is becoming an obsession to take pictures of the Mason flag at random locations throughout the world,” admits McCabe, who graduated in 2002 with a BA in Government and International Politics.

McCabe doesn’t get back to campus as much as he’d like—“the commute would be awful from here,” he says jokingly. But he recalls his time at Mason fondly and doesn’t regret choosing to come here.

But what made him pick Mason over other colleges? Always the crack-up, McCabe says: “I didn’t like the dorm furniture at Harvard. It was tacky. It looked like somebody at VCU picked it out.”

Favorite Mason Memory:

Mason Day, 2001.  The apex was turning our suite bathroom into a very nice wet bar (around 9:30 am) and proceeding to take advantage of it. A couple of hours later, I had to give a presentation (which I had forgotten about) in my International Relations class. Oops. Almost ten years later, and I still haven’t lived it down.

Why Should People Vote For You:

Very simple.  I brought my Mason pride out here in Iraq with me. Not only do I hang up Mason flags in each base’s DFAC [dining facility], I also carry a spare flag in the event that the situation warrants one, such as getting photo ops with old Soviet and Iraqi weapons and aircraft, Saddam Hussein shrines and palaces, U.S. vehicles and weapons and even the occasional USO performer. Additionally, I have found, and am fortunate to keep in touch with, two other Mason Patriots whom are currently in this country, as well: SPC Kalea Rotenberry-McFadden and Ryan Benton (BA Communication, ’06). However, if you vote for me, you are not just voting for me, but rather for every single Mason Patriot who has been, or is currently, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please check the blog on Monday, July 19, to vote for Barry McCabe for Mason’s Biggest Fan.