Alumnus shines light on veteran suicide
University of North Georgia (¶¶Òõ̽̽App) 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 ¶¶Òõ̽̽App. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from ¶¶Òõ̽̽App 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.
Mullins excited to give back in return to ¶¶Òõ̽̽App
Alumnus Shawn Mullins will return to ¶¶Òõ̽̽App in October to raise funds for the Golden Eagle Band, a cadet specialty unit that helped shape his own journey.
Mund takes lead of alumni relations
Jordan Mund, a 2021 ¶¶Òõ̽̽App graduate, started her new role as executive director of alumni relations Sept. 1.
Officers grew thanks to opportunities at ¶¶Òõ̽̽App
Jaden Clark-Davidson and Brandon Clark-Davidson were two of the 20 ¶¶Òõ̽̽App 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 ¶¶Òõ̽̽App
Col. Christian Durham, ¶¶Òõ̽̽App's professor of military science, will serve as the keynote speaker for ¶¶Òõ̽̽App's 9/11 remembrance ceremony. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10.