AFCEA Northern Virginia Chapter Commits to
Endowment of New Scholarship Fund for Veterans of
Iraq and Afghanistan

For Immediate Release December 7, 2005

 AFCEA Media Contact
Tobey Jackson
Office: (703) 631-6189
Email

FAIRFAX, VA - The AFCEA Educational Foundation is pleased to announce a generous and unprecedented $100,000 contribution from the AFCEA Northern Virginia Chapter (AFCEA NOVA) to launch a campaign to endow the new Iraqi/Afghanistan War Veterans Scholarship Fund.

The AFCEA War Veterans Scholarships are offered to active-duty and honorably discharged U.S. military veterans (to include Reservists and National Guard personnel) of the Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) or Iraqi Freedom Operations.  Each scholarship award is $2,500.

Candidates must be currently enrolled and attending either a two-year or four-year accredited college or university in the United States.  Students also may be enrolled in an accredited distance-learning or online degree program affiliated with a major, accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States.  Applications will be accepted from qualified freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students enrolled either part-time or full-time in an eligible degree program.

Candidates must be majoring in the following or related fields:  electrical, aerospace, systems or computer engineering; computer engineering technology; computer information systems; information systems management; computer science; physics; mathematics; or science or mathematics education.  Majors directly related to the support of U.S. intelligence enterprises with relevance to the mission of AFCEA will also be eligible. 

Scholarships will be offered for the fall and spring semesters.

“We are honored to be able to give back to the young men and women who have fought for our country so bravely in the War on Terrorism.  We can do this by helping to ensure that these veterans can continue their educations and meet their career goals once they have returned stateside,” said AFCEA NOVA President Sue Hoffman.  Vice Admiral Herb Browne, USN (ret.), President and CEO of AFCEA International, in a communication to Hoffman stated, “AFCEA NOVA is setting a new standard for service to our Nation and Association.”

The first recipients of the Scholarships have been selected.  They will receive their awards and be recognized on December 9, 2006, 1200-1330, at the AFCEA NOVA Monthly Luncheon, held at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.

“We are particularly thrilled that these students can be with us in person to receive their awards on Friday,” said Col Kevin Hoey (USMC, Ret), AFCEA NOVA Vice President for Education/Chapter Affairs.  “We want them to know how appreciative we are of these veterans’ past service, and to introduce them to hundreds of AFCEA NOVA members in industry, government, and academia who are standing behind their continued success.”

SGT Jacques Claude Philippe Cozart, USA, an Electronics and Computer Technology major at Devry University, Crystal City, Virginia, is currently on active duty and assigned to the Army Field Support Center, Fort Meade, Maryland.  His service in Enduring Freedom began on 1 December 2001 when he was deployed to Uzbekistan with the 10th Mountain Division.  His unit was the first to arrive at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and remained in that country until 22 May 2002.  Sergeant Cozart’s academic achievements have earned him consistent placement on the Dean’s List.  He simultaneously earned the Soldier of the Quarter and Soldier of the Year awards in his Battalion.  Sergeant Cozart will be accompanied at the awards luncheon by his wife Jessica and two daughters, commanding officer, CPT Robert H. Chung, USA, division chief, CW3 Jennifer A. Buck, and first sergeant, 1SGT Michael Eiland.

Specialist Jason Randall Jones served in Iraqi Freedom Operations from March 2003 to February 2004 with the 2nd 320th Field Artillery, “Balls of the Eagle,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).  During this time, Specialist Jones received the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal among other awards.  He is currently in the Army Reserve.  Specialist Jones graduated cum laude from Wytheville Community College before transferring to Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, where he is currently enrolled as an Electrical Engineering Technology major with a specialization in Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology.  Specialist Jones will be accompanied at the award ceremony by his brother-in-law, Paul Caudell.

Fred Rainbow, Vice President, AFCEA International & Executive Director of the AFCEA Educational Foundation, noted, “This is the largest one-time gift that the Foundation has received, and we are proud to be cosponsoring this award with one of our AFCEA Chapters.  The initial investment from AFCEA NOVA, plus the Chapter’s commitment to challenge its member companies and continue to grow the fund until it is fully endowed, will mean we can assist Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen in perpetuity.”

AFCEA Regional Vice President Chuck Corjay commented, “This gift is made possible by the generous support we have received from our member companies and the military personnel that participate in AFCEA NOVA lunches, IT Days, the Valentine’s Ball, and many other events.  But our contributions pale in comparison to what these young people have done for our entire country by standing on the line to protect our way of life, our freedom.”

AFCEA NOVA, with approximately 5,500 members and an equal number of nonmember associates, is the largest of the 130 worldwide chapters that make up AFCEA International.  For more information about the chapter, visit www.afceanova.org.

AFCEA International is a non-profit association providing a forum for the professional communications, electronics, intelligence and information systems community.  For more information visit www.afcea.org.

The AFCEA Educational Foundation promotes excellence in education with scholarships, awards, grants and prizes, awarded annually to students studying the scientific and technical disciplines that support the information technology, communications, and intelligence needs of our military and national security agencies.

In fiscal year 2006, the AFCEA chapters and Educational Foundation together will award more than $1.4 million dollars in scholarships and awards.  For more information on the work of the AFCEA Educational Foundation, visit www.afcea.org/education/scholarships

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