AJ graduated from Pennridge High School, excelling in soccer and playing on the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team and was also recognized as a Parade All-American after his senior year of high school.
hometown hero
Hometown Hero – Scott Wegener
United States Army Sergeant First Class (SFC) Scott Wegener was born in Lexington, Missouri, and he enlisted in the Army in July 2009. He completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and the 44 Charlie, Financial Management Technician course which is known today as the 36 Bravo Finance and Comptroller.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Varun Gollapudi
United States Army Staff Sergeant and Syracuse University Student Veteran Organization President, Varun Gollapudi was born and raised in San Jose, California.
Hometown Hero: Quynn Sweeney
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: 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.
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