James was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas. He served as a tank platoon leader and deployed with his unit in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On September 27, 2006, First Lieutenant James N. Lyons was shot and killed in southern Baghdad, Iraq while his unit was attacking insurgents that had attacked a key strategic facility. At the time of his death, James was Syracuse University’s first known and youngest casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Medal, among others.
hometown hero
Hometown Hero: Kristin Hughes
United States Army Sergeant First Class and Syracuse Police Officer Kristin Hughes hails from Syracuse, New York. Kristin attended Bishop Grimes High School where she played soccer and graduated in 2012. She later became the Bishop Grimes girls assistant head soccer coach in 2017 for one year.
Hometown Hero: Phil Benedict
United States Air Force Veteran and Syracuse University Employee Phil Benedict is from Pompey New York. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in spring of 1977 as an Aircraft Aerospace Technician. During his active-duty service, Phil was stationed in Royal Air Force (RAF) Upper Heyford, England and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, followed by continued service in the Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard, and the Navy Reserves.
Hometown Hero – U.S. Army LTCs Dwayne and Alison Murray
United States Army LTC’s Dwayne and Alison Murray’s journey to Syracuse University began in the late 1990s arriving from White Plains, New York and Severna Park, Maryland, respectively.
Hometown Hero: Charlie Poag
United States Marine Corps veteran and Syracuse University senior Charlie Poag enlisted in the Marine Corps in the summer of 2001 and completed boot camp two weeks prior to the tragic events of 9/11.
Hometown Hero: Jay Knight
United States Army Captain (Promotable) Jay Knight hails from Huntsville, Alabama. He completed his bachelor’s degree in 2000 at the University of Alabama – Birmingham and enlisted into the United States Army in 2005 as an 11 Bravo – Infantryman.
Hometown Hero: Felicia Showers
Syracuse University Army ROTC Cadet and New York Army National Guard Sergeant, Felicia Showers, hails from Waterloo, New York. She enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2014 as Geospatial Intelligence Imagery Analyst and served in the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion.
Hometown Hero: Kirsten Brandes
Staff Sergeant Kirsten Brandes enlisted in the Air Force in January of 2015. During her nearly six years of service as a Broadcast Journalist, she has served at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; and Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Syracuse University Tillman Scholar and Air Force Veteran, Laura Buys, honored as Hometown Hero vs. Georgia Tech
United States Air Force veteran Laura Buys of Saint Paul, Minnesota, enlisted in the Air Force and became an operations intelligence analyst in 2012. In 2014, she deployed to Qatar in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve. She later joined the prestigious Cobra Ball in Alaska and Japan while supporting international treaty verification.
Hometown Hero: J-R Williams
United States Army Master Sergeant (Retired) Jennifer-Rebeccah “J-R” Williams hails from Pulaski, New York and enlisted in the Army in 1996 as a Broadcast Journalist and Public Affairs Specialist. J-R served 22 and a half years in the Army before retiring from active duty in 2018.