CDT Hoffman recently traveled to Northern India with a program called Project GOLD India. This program was developed with NCSU and Cadet Command. NCSU has a Urdu intensive language program that they offer during the summer sessions. The goal of the India trip was to spark students interest in the Urdu language. The interesting part about the trip was that Pakistan is the country that has a majority of Urdu speakers, while northern India speaks Hindi.

The group consisted of 24 students from all over the country, but half were from NCSU. The Group visited sites like the Taj Mahal, Akbar the Greats tomb, the Red Fort, as well as Aligarh Muslim University, the American Institute for Indian Studies, and Jain University (This is a religion). The trip was very educational, especially for future Army officers. It allowed students  to see the world from a different perspective. India is a very poor country, but there is a movement towards becoming more western. CDT Hoffman is quoted saying "I’ll never take the United States of America for granted ever again, this is the greatest country in the world." Globalization is taking effect, and you can see it easily. The college age generation is trying to imitate the culture of western college students. While Hoffman was there he learned a lot about how America is viewed in other parts of the world. People loved the fact Obama was elected because it proved that racism in the states is on a sharp decline, they hope will be the same there soon in regards to the caste system. Most of students we interacted with loved American culture/music/movies, so it was very interesting to see an extremely historical country trying to change so rapidly. 

 By Ryan Seals
News & Record

GREENSBORO — A Greensboro police recruit is placing his goal of becoming a police officer on hold to assist with the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

Nicholas Goughnour, 27, left his post as platoon leader in the 91st Police Basic Introductory Course on Wednesday to resume his full-time duties to the Army Reserve as a first lieutenant.

 In December the Blue Star Mothers of the Wautagu chapter participated in the annual Christmas parade to raise awareness for the many families who have sons and daughters deployed overseas fighting in the war on terror. The Wautagu chapter includes families from the surrounding counties Ashe and Avery. This was a chance for the Blue Mothers to reach out to the community to let people know that they are not alone in times of war. The organization organizes activities to support both the families and those serving in the military. Those activities are determined by each group, and include mailing cards, letters, and packages to area service men and women as well as being a support group for mothers who have sons and/or daughters in the military.

Taking part in the Blue Star Mothers float was Cadet Spencer McKinney of Appalachian State University, a junior studying criminal justice who will commission as an officer in 2011. He also deployed to Iraq twice before coming to Appalachian State to pursue his goals. He had this to say:

“In my experience of being deployed, having a good support group back home is just as important as the body armor a soldier wears or the rifle they carry. It makes all the difference in the world when arriving back from a mission; you find that your loved ones are thinking about you in providing care packages or letters to read. The families of soldiers who provide support are just as important to this nation as the troops serving.”    

For anyone wishing to join this chapter:

For further information contact Debbie Branch, Chair of the event, at: branchfamily@earthlink.net