news

Syracuse Veterans Honored at WCNY’s Inaugural Mission Celebration

Three of Central New York’s most prominent champions for veterans, including Syracuse University Chancellor J. Michael Haynie,  were honored May 28 at Madison County Distillery in Cazenovia, as WCNY launched its first “Mission: Honor Our Heroes”—an event raising funds to keep local veterans’ stories on the air.

ROTC students find ‘sense of purpose’ when juggling responsibilities

Amanda Turcotte wakes up for a 12-mile ruck march at Onondaga Lake at 3 a.m. She doesn’t get back to her dorm until around 7:30 a.m. After removing her weighted backpack, she hops in the shower to get ready for class like any other college student, which she is, except for when she attends ROTC classes.

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: 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 Reading