United States Army Sergeant and current Syracuse University Army ROTC cadet Quynn Sweeney hails from Fulton, New York. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2019 and has been serving on active duty for six years. Quynn initially trained at the 5th Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to become 37 Foxtrot, Psychological Operations Specialist from 2020 to 2021. She later changed her Army occupational skill to 92 Alpha, Automated Logistics Specialist.
hometown hero
Hometown Hero: Nick Hardy
United States Army veteran Nicholas Hardy was born in Syracuse, New York and raised in Vestal. Nick enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after 9/11 and attended basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, becoming at 13B, Cannon Crewmember. Nick attended basic airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and he was later assigned as a paratrooper to the 173rd Airborne Brigade – the Sky Soldiers – in Vincenza, Italy.
Hometown Hero: Analice Baker
U.S. Navy Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class (MC2) Analice Baker’s military lineage runs deep in her family. Raised in Red Bank, New Jersey by a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and a mother whose talents matched her intelligence, she grew up surrounded by family members who collectively spent decades in uniform.
Hometown Hero: Kat Whitson
United States Army Second Lieutenant Katherine “Kat” Whitson was born in Augusta, Georgia and was raised in Grovetown, Georgia. Kat enrolled at the Georgia Military College in 2022, where she earned two associate degrees while participating in numerous extracurricular activities. Her dedication to academic excellence and service culminated in being named a Distinguished Graduate, graduating summa cum laude at the top of her class. A member of the Army’s Early Commissioning Program (ECP), Kat was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2024.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Matthew Coyne
United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Matt Coyne was born and raised in Stony Point, New York, and attended the University of Scranton, where he commissioned through the Army ROTC program in 2006. LTC Coyne began his career as a Military Police Platoon Leader, deploying to Eastern Afghanistan in 2007 with the 546th Military Police Company, Fort Stewart, Georgia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following his deployment, LTC Coyne served in multiple operational assignments, including the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, where he deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2010.
Hometown Hero: Joseph Raffa
United States Air Force Lt Col Joseph Raffa was born and raised in Oswego, New York. He graduated Mexico High School in 2003 and attended Syracuse University from 2003 – 2007, where he commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through Syracuse University’s Detachment 535 Air Force ROTC program. Joe met his wife Angela while both were attending Syracuse University, and they were married in Hendricks Chapel on May 26, 2007. They have three sons: Joseph Jr., Vincent, and Dominic.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Devon Hubbard
United States Army Captain Devon Hubbard hails from Chicago, Illinois. In 2016, Captain Hubbard was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Corps from Mercyhurst University.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Mackenzie Kirsch
U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Mackenzie Kirsch was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. In 2024, she graduated as the valedictorian of The New Mexico Military Institute. Mackenzie was commissioned from the Early Commissioning Program as a Second Lieutenant in the Vermont Army National Guard, where she is currently serving in the Judge Advocate General Corps office. As a cadet at the New Mexico Military Institute, she served as the Regimental Provost Marshal, Battalion Operations Officer, Battalion Adjutant, and was on the Ranger Challenge Team. Her proudest achievements in the Army include completing the Norwegian Ruck march with her unit and being honored as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Leonel Aviles ’26
United States Marine Corps veteran and Syracuse University student veterans Leonel Aviles was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. Leo joined the United States Marine Corps in 2017, just two weeks after graduating high school. He attended boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina and completed Supply and Warehouse Specialist training at Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, North Carolina. As a Supply and Warehouse Specialist, Leo was responsible for keeping Marines equipped with all their equipment required to train and operate each day.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Alexis Stanley
United States Air Force Technical Sergeant Alexis Stanley is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and she enlisted in the United States Air Force in March 2015.