Drue Hoagland earns Distinguished Military Graduate honor

Drue Hoagland of Schell City, is among 21 cadets from the University of North Georgia (UNG) who have been ranked in the top 20 percent of the nation among more than 5,000 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets assessed by U.S. Army Cadet Command. Ranking in the top 20 percent in the nation earns cadets the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG).

Cadets are ranked on the national Order of Merit List (OML) by achieving superior grade-point averages, strong performance in the Army physical fitness test, and proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training.

Each fall, in conjunction with their branch selections, all Army ROTC seniors across the nation are ranked in the OML. A cadet’s positioning on the OML can determine his or her priority in being chosen for the branch or occupational specialty of choice.

“We are extremely proud of this tremendous individual accomplishment by these 21 men and women,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mark Legaspi, assistant professor of military science and executive officer of the Department of Military Science at UNG. “These cadets will commission into the U.S Army active component or Army National Guard in the coming months, and the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate is an honor that will remain on their record as a significant achievement throughout their military careers.”

Walton, who is from Flowery Branch, Georgia, will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in political science and commission into the National Guard adjutant general corps.

Positioned in the fastest-growing region of the state, the University of North Georgia comprises five campuses united by a single mission focused on academic excellence and academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia. With more than 19,000 students, the University of North Georgia is the state’s sixth-largest public university. The university offers more than 100 programs of study ranging from certificate and associate degrees to professional doctoral programs.