Veteran's Salute
Alum Major Patrick S. Morgan '88 husband of Alum Beth Register Morgan '92.
Pat is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Army in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is the principle advisor to the Royal Saudi Armor Forces. He is on an unaccompanied tour for 1 year. Beth and their 3 children, Amanda (16), Kelsi (15) and Reagan (10) are currently in Kingsport which was Pat's last assignment before going to Saudi Arabia.
SSG Bill Swiderski husband of Alum Michaele Swiderski, '95.
Bill is a reservist with the 1/278th Armored Cav. He will be stationed at Camp Caldwell in Iraq. Michaele writes: True peace comes from democracy and freedom and I believe that the ultimate result of our going to Iraq will be peace in the region. I am proud that my husband has the courage and the heart to participate in that process, even if it means being horribly lonely without him.
Kelly Goff Myren‘92
Kelly Goff Myren ‘92 and her husband, Jonathan, are both members in the US Army Reserves. Kelly is a 1LT in the Army Nurse Corps, and Jonathan is a Staff Sergeant. In January, SSG Jonathan Myren, got called up to go to Iraq as a convoy driver. It was a very scary time for this couple, especially because Kelly was 6 1/2 months pregnant. Jonathan was stationed outside of Tikrit and his unit carried food, fuel, and equipment to several other units around Iraq . In April, their daughter Elliana was born, and fortunately, Jonathan was able to come home for her birth! Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, he had to rejoin his unit and leave Kelly at home to take care of a tiny infant. It was a hard 4 months, but the couple is so thankful that in August, Jonathan was able to come home for good! Now he is able to see his beautiful little girl learning to crawl and watch her grow!
General B. B. Bell '69 and Captain Lisa Lim '96
General B. B. Bell '69 and Captain Lisa Lim '96 are shown here at Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center in Germany. General Bell was on a visit to the hospital's intensive care unit. Captain Lim went through the ROTC program at UTC and currently treats wounded soldiers and marines from the battles in Fallujah.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Prevou ‘81
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Prevou ‘81 is an active duty officer and has just returned from Afghanistan where he was the Deputy Director, Strategic Plans and Policy, CJ5, for Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan. Mike and his wife Sheila and two daughters, Elizabeth (17) and Holly (13) reside at FT Leavenworth Kansas where Mike is an associate Professor of Military Education and Chief of the Army's Leader Network, a collaborative, on line forum for Leader Development.
Colonel W. Eric Smith '82
Colonel W. Eric Smith '82 is a 22 year veteran currently serving as Chief, Sustainment Division for the U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Eric's wife Soizik, son Collin (US Military Academy) and son Brennan (High School Sophomore) currently make their home in Springfield, Virginia.
CPT George M. Johnson '88
CPT George M. Johnson, 1998 graduate, is a UH-60 MEDEVAC Pilot assigned to the 236th MEDEVAC Company from Landstuhl, Germany, and is attached to the 36th MEDEVAC Battalion in Tikrit, Iraq as the battalion S-3 Air Officer. I am a veteran of more than 2 dozen MEDEVAC missions (in less than 2 months) and am looking forward to coming home to my wife Mary and our 1 year old daughter Samantha. I am proud to be serving my country and helping the people of Iraq find a more peaceful tomorrow. This comes as a huge sacrifice to many Soldiers; missing their childrens' births, first steps, and many other evens in their lives, but we do it for the good of our families and the nation.
Peter R. Moore '89
Pete Moore is a regular army officer and recently served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines. He is married to Sally (Fick) Moore '82 and they have three children, Nick - 18, Alex - 14,
Hank - 9. This picure shows Pete Moore at Great Budda's - Bamian Province, Afghanistan.
Sgt Robb Kidwill '02
Sgt Kidwill graduated in 2002 and took a teaching position at Rome High School in Rome, GA. He was activated with the 278th in the summer of 2004 and just completed his tour in Iraq with them. He is currently reassigned to the 101st Abn until the Spring of 2006 in Diyala Province Iraq. He is looking forward to coming back home one day soon and teaching again.
Daniel R. Hendy '91
Daniel Hendy, aka Sluggo T. Infantryman HQ/A/1/278 RCT has served in Iraq, Bosnia, and Panama now with additional trips to Japan, Germany, and adjoining countries. He said that UTCs professors have had an impact on my views and approaches - usually in the domain of compassion and a cooperative approach.
John A. Harris '01
Navy Seaman John A. Harris, an alumnus of University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Chattanooga, and his fellow shipmates are in the middle of a scheduled deployment while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, homeported in San Diego.
Harris' unit made port visits to United Arab Emirates and Australia, participated in the United For Reading Program and conducted maritime security operations (MSO) in the Western Pacific.
The port visits were opportunities for Sailors to participate in community service projects, visit tourist attractions and experience different cultures.
The United For Reading Program allowed Sailors to read books to their children on video tape or DVD, and mail it home. The purpose of the program is to boost family morale, give parental support to the spouse
left at home and ease childrens' fears about parental absence.
MSO sets the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, and supports the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO denies international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other materials.
Carriers like USS Ronald Reagan are deployed throughout the world to maintain U.S. presence and provide rapid response in time of crisis. They serve as a highly visible deterrent to would-be aggressors and are equipped with the most versatile and powerful weapons and aircraft available.
Harris is a graduate of University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, with a BA degree.
For more information on the deployment and high resolution photographs, visit USS Ronald Reagan Web site at http://www.navy.mil.
