United States Navy veteran Raul Rosique was born in Delano, California, and raised in Richgrove, California. Raul shipped out to boot camp a few months after his high school graduation at age 18 in 2014. Raul’s enlistment was for five years, and he was set to be attached to a Nuclear Submarine as a Logistic Specialist. After completing logistical training in Mississippi and Submarine training in Connecticut, he received orders to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which luckily ended up being his only duty station.
Hometown Hero
Hometown Hero: Richard M. Jones
United States Army Staff Sergeant (Retired) and three-time Syracuse University alum, Richard M. Jones, was born and raised in Utica, New York. Rich comes from a military family and his passion for service was inspired by their service. His paternal grandfather was a member of the 29th Infantry Division, one of the first soldiers to land at Omaha Beach.
Hometown Hero: Mike and Colleen Drum
Mike Drum’s and Colleen Shuster’s amazing journey to Syracuse University began with both serving in the United States Marine Corps. Mike was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and he enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve as an Infantry Rifleman in July 2010 following his high school graduation.
Hometown Hero: Jack Pullano
The United States Air Force Veteran Jack Pullano was born in Amherst, New York, and he was raised in Hopkinton, New York. Three weeks after graduating high school in 2017, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force serving on active duty for four years. After completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Fuels tech school in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jack received orders to Kadena, Air Base, located in Okinawa Japan. While stationed at Kadena, he was a Fuels Journeyman with the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron and a member of the only Pacific Air Force’s Special Operations Forward Area Refueling Point Team under the 353rd Special Operations Group.
Hometown Hero: Melvin Stith, U.S. ARMY Veteran and Dean Emeritus of Whitman
Melvin Stith was born in Portsmouth, Virginia to Florence Stith and Millard Stith. In 1964, Mel graduated from Central High School in Jarratt, Virginia, a rural farming community between Emporia and Petersburg. Mel went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Norfolk State in 1968. After graduating from college, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Corps and was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam.
Hometown Hero: MSgt Alicia Gopee
United States Air Force, Master Sergeant, and Syracuse University Air Force ROTC Detachment 535 cadre member Alicia Gopee, hails from Brooklyn, New York. Master Sergeant Gopee enlisted into the United States Air Force on September 5, 2005, to become a Personnelist Journeyman, after residing in New York City and seeing firsthand, the direct impact of September 11th, 2001. She attended Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, and Technical School at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.
Hometown Hero: U.S. ARMY WWII Veteran and SU CoL Alumnus, Robert “Bob” Gang, Jr.
Robert “Bob” Gang, Jr. was born on June 6, 1918, in Syracuse, New York. He attended Christian Brothers Academy High School and entered Syracuse University in the fall of 1935. Bob joined the Syracuse University Army ROTC “Stalwart Battalion” program and was a member of the Pershing rifle team that practiced on a rifle range in the basement of Archbold Gymnasium. After graduation in 1939, Bob enrolled in the College of Law.
Hometown Hero: Lauren Pyland
United States Army veteran, Syracuse University Army ROTC and College of Arts and Sciences alum, and former university employee Lauren Pyland was born in Watertown, New York, and was raised in the north country town of Calcium, New York. Growing up near Fort Drum, New York, the daughter of two Army veterans, Lauren was well attuned to the unique needs of military service members and their families
Hometown Hero – Anthony Ruscitto
United States Marine Corps Anthony Joseph Ruscitto was born in Syracuse, New York and graduated from Bishop Grimes high school in 2013. Tony enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2013 at the age of 17 and would serve a total of five years on active duty. He completed Marine Corps Recruit Training and earned the title of United States Marine at Parris Island, South Carolina in February of 2014. He then completed Marine and Naval Aircrew flight training as a CH-53E Helicopter Crew Chief at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina in 2015.
Hometown Hero: Ryan Yon
Carolina. In August 2017, he enlisted in the United States Army after reading the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. A passage from the book inspired Ryan to enlist which reads: “Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and something to rescue.” Ryan finished the book on his break, immediately drove to the recruiter’s office and enlisted, and told his supervisor he will be leaving and never coming back.