DAHLONEGA - The University of North Georgia's Department of Athletics will kick off its award-winning Operation Nighthawks of Honor initiative this semester as it recognizes service members who were former or current UNG students.
The event, which is the annual announcement of UNG Athletics' yearlong tribute to the nation's armed forces, will include special acknowledgement of alumnus that were killed in the Korean War.
The fourth annual ceremony will be held in conjunction with a Peach Belt Conference basketball doubleheader against Columbus State in the UNG Convocation Center on Wednesday, January 9, 2019. The games will be aired on ESPN3 as part of the Division II Basketball Showcase package.
Earlier this semester, Director of Athletics
Lindsay Reeves and head softball coach
Mike Davenport presented COL. James T. Palmer, UNG Commandant of Cadets, a check for $520.81 from last year's proceeds.
Nighthawk Athletics has now donated over $2,370 to the UNG Boar's Head Brigade Corps of Cadets Endowed Scholarship Fund since the initiative's inception on the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The ceremony will feature UNG coaches displaying commemorative memorabilia that honors the fallen soldiers and will be auctioned off at the end of the 2018-19 season, with the all of the proceeds supporting the endowment fund. Along with each head coach, representatives from each company of the Corps of Cadets and its specialty units will stand in on the presentation.
Each of the university's sports teams is assigned a UNG graduate or former student that were killed in action while serving the country; the teams commemorate their service members throughout their respective seasons.
Similar to previous years' classes, all 13 former North Georgia students of this year's Operation Nighthawks of Honor class were killed during, or associated with, the Korean War. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the fighting of the Korean War. For three brutal years, our Armed Forces and allies fought valiantly to stop the spread of communism and defend freedom on the Korean Peninsula.
One of only six federally designated senior military colleges in the nation, UNG is The Military College of Georgia and its nationally recognized Army ROTC program attracts students from across the state, region and nation.
UNG has commissioned more than 50 General Officers, ten of whom are currently serving in a variety of command positions including: Commander (Third Army/ARCENT), Commander (XVIII Airborne Corps), Deputy Commander (U.S. Army Europe), Commander U.S. Cyber Command and many more. Many other alumni of UNG completed successful military careers and hundreds are currently serving on active duty today at all levels of command.
2018-19 Operation Nighthawks of Honor Team Assignments
James S. Bramblett, Jr. – Cross Country / Track & Field
Henry C. Camp, Jr. – Men's Soccer
Harry B. Dettmering – Women's Soccer
Robert W. Duncan – Men's Tennis
Malcolm A. Gibbs – Women's Tennis
John H. Haddock, Jr. – Baseball
Lamar J. Jackson, Jr. – Rifle
Charles J. James – Men's Golf
Rufus F. Mahaffey – Women's Golf
James F. McCorkle – Men's Basketball
David L. Parmer – Women's Basketball
Charles L. Worley – Softball
