This note was, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be a fun recap of Alumni Weekend, highlighting the highs, pretending there were no lows, and offering accolades to all those that helped pull it out. That was the plan. And while I’d still like to take the opportunity to say if you missed it, we missed you, and hope you will be with us next year (April 20-22, 2018) for another epic weekend, I must tamper my tone.
Many of you know by now that this past weekend, UNG alumni, 1st Lt. Weston Lee, ’14 gave his life for our country. 25 years young, Weston was serving his first tour in Iraq as a U.S. Army infantry officer. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. He was killed in action in Mosul, Iraq on Saturday, April 29. Obviously, an Alumni Weekend recap can wait.
Weston was a CJ major at UNG. Department Chair, Jennifer Allen said this in a note to her faculty and staff, “He was always an office and class favorite as a kind and caring young man.” Friends on social media are equally devastated. His fraternity, SAE, posted this on their Facebook page, ”A majority of our chapter has or will soon serve in the armed forces, so the idea of sacrifice and service is far from foreign to us, but never before has it come so close to home. The chapter, the Corps of Cadets, and the University all mourn this loss, as Weston was the poster child of dedication, an exemplar of honor, and a steward of selfless service until the end. As he lived and loved, he was lost a warrior and a True Gentlemen.”
Weston could have been my son. This hit me as much as anything about his death. His age.
I’ll come straight out and admit it. There are times when I, like so many others, have criticized “this generation.” The accessibility they have to “things.” Their need for Starbucks, state-of-the art recreation facilities, suite style living, and a parking space right in front of their residence hall. All the while stressing over what they don’t have. I have a young son, and even at his age, I see it constantly.
And then this.
At 25, this young man went where, in this period of history, he didn’t have to go. Why he chose a commission over an entry-level civilian position, safe back home somewhere, I don’t know. But what I do know is that he, and so many other students and young alumni I have encountered in my six years at North Georgia, whether in person or otherwise, absolutely defy my own stereotypes. It’s a little like throwing out the boomerang, only to have it come back and hit you in the face. Hard.
To Weston’s family and closest friends, may a peace that passes all understanding be with you during this very, very difficult period. The University of North Georgia Office of Alumni Relations and the University of North Georgia Alumni Association stand ready to assist you in any way possible. Know that you are in our prayers today and in the days, weeks, and months to come.
To the rest of the UNG alumni family, we have lost one of our own. Please take a moment today to reflect on the significance of Weston’s sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices of those who have come before him. As the KIA Memorial Wall in Dahlonega reads, “Many Have Given Much - These Have Given All.” On this day, and every day, God bless those who have given all.
Wendi Huguley, '90
Director of Alumni Relations