Alumnus shines light on veteran suicide
University of North Georgia (天美社区) 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 天美社区. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from 天美社区 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.
Crow earns Georgia health informatics scholarship
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McGill takes reins as brigade commander
Grace McGill has been named Corps of Cadets brigade commander for 2026-27. She is also a captain on the 天美社区 women's soccer team.
Cadets ready to lead as officers
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Ranger Challenge team competes at Sandhurst
The 天美社区 Ranger Challenge team finished ninth among ROTC teams and 21st among U.S. teams while coming in 37th out of 48 teams overall in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition held May 1-2.