Alumnus shines light on veteran suicide
University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) alumnus Earl "Chico" Porter III, '09, is on a winter through-hike of the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness of veteran suicide. He began the effort Sept. 11 in Maine and plans to finish by Feb. 22.
Porter was a Distinguished Military Graduate and the No. 1 cadet in the nation as a senior at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Â鶹ÊÓƵ and later earned a juris doctor degree from Emory Law.
A former Army Ranger, Porter established , a project of the nonprofit , to help raise support. Porter hopes to raise $1 million to empower a multi-disciplinary fight against veteran suicide.
"I walk to make sure veterans know it's OK to reach out for help; that's a lot of what took this project from idea to reality: asking my teammates for help," Porter said. "At a certain level, we are trying to provide our friends with some hope for the next 2,200 miles that someone out there cares."
A logistical team working from a trailer pulled by his truck — dubbed "Queen of Battle" — accompanies Porter along the walk to ensure he remains resourced, healthy and safe. Along the hike, Porter is stopping in several locations to share his perspective of the hike and reflections of his life experiences and those of soldiers who came before him.
Officers grew thanks to opportunities at Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Jaden Clark-Davidson and Brandon Clark-Davidson were two of the 20 Â鶹ÊÓƵ cadets who commissioned Sept. 10 as second lieutenants in the Army and Georgia Army National Guard.
9/11 remembrance event set for Sept. 10 at Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Col. Christian Durham, Â鶹ÊÓƵ's professor of military science, will serve as the keynote speaker for Â鶹ÊÓƵ's 9/11 remembrance ceremony. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10.
Durham is new professor of military science
Alumnus Col. Christian Durham is the new Â鶹ÊÓƵ professor of military science. The 2001 graduate took over this role in June.
About 240 FROGS set to begin cadet life
About 240 freshmen began their time as Â鶹ÊÓƵ cadets Aug. 2-8 during FROG Week, which was led by cadet brigade commander Grace McGill and her team.