Military Salute: The Week of Oct. 1
Oct. 1—Ensign Michael Barnhill
Ensign Michael Barnhill, a Kennesaw native, is part of Naval Oceanography ensuring the U.S. Navy maintains freedom from the ocean floor to the stars at Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center.
Sailors and civilians working throughout Naval Oceanography collect, measure and analyze the elements of the physical environment — land, sea, air and space. They synthesize a vast array of oceanographic and meteorological data to produce forecasts and warnings in support of safety of flight and navigation.
Barnhill graduated from Kennesaw Mountain High School in 2015 and from Georgia Tech in 2019 with a degree in physics. He currently serves as a meteorology and oceanography officer with Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center at METOC, headquartered at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
According to Barnhill, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Kennesaw.
"Growing up and seeing what kind of leaders you want to follow helps you decide what kind of leader you want to be," said Barnhill. "Having coaches when I was a kid, I learned what works and what wouldn't work. Coach Schafer taught me earth systems, and that's probably why I became interested in meteorology and oceanography."
Naval Oceanography personnel demonstrate expertise in Hydrography, Geospatial Information and Services, datum issues and Tactical Decision Aids. They combine knowledge of the operating environment with a thorough understanding of warfighting capabilities to assess and predict environmental impacts to friendly and enemy platforms, sensors and weapon systems.
Serving in the Navy means Barnhill is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America's focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.
"The Navy is the first line of defense," said Barnhill. "The U.S. has oceans on both sides, so any threat that reaches us would have to get through the Navy. It's important to have a presence around the world."
With more than 90% of all trade traveling by sea, and 95% of the world's international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize the importance of accelerating America's advantage at sea.
UNG Cadets
University of North Georgia cadets and leaders traveled abroad this summer for a wide range of professional development opportunities and events. This included multiple visits to international military academy partners, as well as conferences and leadership courses.
Cadets who gained experience abroad this summer included:
—Marietta resident Colin McBride-Parker, along with Jacob Lyons, Ryan McGlaun, Andrew Moreshead and Hyunbean Park, took part in a variety of activities in the Republic of Georgia. They taught English while interning at the National Defense Academy. They also took a leadership course in Poland.
—Marietta resident Mia Libosada, along with Thomas Samples, attended a conference at Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy in Sibiu, Romania, with other cadets from around Europe.
Some of the cadet travel was paid for by the U.S. Department of Defense funding for UNG's Institute for Cyber Operations. These trips, typically one to three weeks in length, take place in non-English-speaking countries for cadets who display outstanding leadership and plan to commission into a combat arms branch in the active-duty Army.
About 165 cadets began their time as UNG cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group Week from Aug. 14-20. FROG Week marks the transition from civilian to military life within UNG's Corps of Cadets.
The local FROG Week graduates include William Mitchell of Acworth; Amar Mollon-Acevedo and Harvey Cain, both of the Cumberland area; Mia Robinson of Kennesaw; James Ballentine, Kevin Williams, Zach Pacifico and Jadan Harper, all of Marietta; and Avery Maddox of Powder Springs.
The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia. With almost 19,000 students, the University of North Georgia is one of the state's largest public universities.
