Eleven are Distinguished Military Graduates
Article By: Clark Leonard
Eleven University of North Georgia (ǧÃŬAV) cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates (DMG) for 2022-23.
DMGs are commissioning cadets who finish in the top 20% of Army graduates on the national Order of Merit List by achieving superior grade-point averages, strong performance in the Army Combat Fitness Test, and proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training. The DMG designation will remain on their Army record throughout their military career.
"The DMG recognition from U.S. Army Cadet Command is a testament of exemplary performance from the first semester a cadet joins ǧÃŬAV and the Boar's Head Brigade. These cadets have maintained a level of focus and performance that extends through all facets of a college student's career," Col. Bryan Kirk, ǧÃŬAV's professor of military science, said. "Their scholastic success is a vibrant tribute to the unrelenting support and expertise of our ǧÃŬAV professors, faculty and staff, while their ROTC success speaks to the devotion and experience of our cadre. DMG students have taken up the challenge to maximize their leadership growth at ǧÃŬAV and earn success."
ǧÃŬAV's DMG honorees are William Allen, Jordan Armstrong, Michael Blumthal, Andrew Flournoy, Quinn Griffith, Chase Grover, Jacob Hughes, Noah Isley, Anthony Linatoc, Phillip Ly, and David Vinci.
The DMG recognition from U.S. Army Cadet Command is a testament of exemplary performance from the first semester a cadet joins ǧÃŬAV and the Boar's Head Brigade. These cadets have maintained a level of focus and performance that extends through all facets of a college student's career.
Col. Bryan Kirk
ǧÃŬAV professor of military science
Armstrong, a senior from Kaiserslautern, Germany, pursuing a degree in kinesiology, didn't meet her goal of earning a Recondo badge for high performance at Advanced Camp this summer. That couldn't keep her from moving forward.
"I kept pushing and doing the best that I possibly could and learning about my leadership style," Armstrong said.
A four-year Army ROTC Scholarship winner, Armstrong looks forward to using the skills she has learned in the Corps of Cadets when she graduates, including a servant leadership mentality and seeing the Army as a "people business." For now, though, she is grateful for the DMG designation.
"It was a lot of work. It's not easy to accomplish these things, especially the fact that we're performing in a male-dominated field," Armstrong said. "I set a goal to always try my hardest, and if I tried my hardest, that's all that mattered. This is the Army recognizing me."
Ly, a senior from Forest Park, Georgia, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, previously earned the nationally competitive Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, Boren Scholarship, Freeman-Awards for Study in Asia scholarship, and a Fund for Education Abroad scholarship. He also participated in the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program in 2022. Now, DMG is added to his list of accomplishments.
"It is a testament to my dedication to the process and unrelenting work ethic to always improve myself," Ly said.
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