The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Fielding Lewis Chapter, of Marietta, welcomed Chattahoochee Tech Veteran Services Coordinator Barry Munday as the featured speaker at their October meeting to learn more about the challenges faced by college students who are veterans or military family members.
Chattahoochee Tech has nearly 800 veterans and military-affiliated students, according to Munday, who leads the college’s initiative to provide a supportive environment for this vast student population and connect them the assistance they may need. Factoring foremost in the college’s ability to provide help, according to Munday, is the newly renovated Jim Cunningham Veteran Services Center, which is located at the college’s Marietta Campus. Another key component in this initiative is the college’s Green Zone training for faculty and staff. This training, he said, helps them gain an increased awareness about the needs of veterans trying to reacclimate to civilian and college life. Through these efforts, Chattahoochee Tech was designated in 2019 as a national, gold-level Military Friendly School as well as a Military Friendly Spouse School.
“We have been able to reach out to veterans and their family members in incredible ways,” said Munday, a 30-year U.S. Air Force veteran. “Not only do we help them pursue an academic degree through the college, but also to gain post-military, successful career opportunities.”
The Fielding Lewis DAR chapter, which was founded in Marietta in 1904, is one of the largest DAR chapters in Georgia, according to Chapter Regent Ann Ameye, who noted that chapter members actively participate in service projects to promote patriotism, education and historic preservation. DAR members, said Ameye, are descended from patriots who won American Independence during the Revolutionary War.
