UWG News Archive

UWG alums serving in Afghanistan

April 6, 2005

CARROLLTON, GA - “Not everyone will be a war hero, but everyone can serve and serve proudly.” That’s the outlook of Roger Huffstetler, a graduate of the University of West Georgia. He was attending graduate school at Harvard when he took a leave of absence in 2002 and joined the United States Marine Corps in March of 2003.

UWG News Photo Huffstetler, a native of Newnan, graduated from UWG in 2001 where he was a chemistry major and a member of the UWG Honors College. He received many accolades for his work in the chemistry field and had offers from prestigious graduate programs such as Columbia, Stanford, Cal Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Berkeley and Cambridge before deciding to attend Harvard.

Huffstetler is currently serving in Afghanistan under his Operations Officer, fellow UWG graduate Marlin Benton, Jr. The two met at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, before being deployed to Afghanistan. Benton is a 1991 graduate of UWG where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After graduation, he joined the Marines as a second lieutenant. He is a native of Cedartown and graduated from Cedartown High School in 1987. Since joining the Marines, he has been deployed to Italy for six months, Japan for six months and Saudi Arabia for three months.

As an operations officer, Benton is responsible for ensuring that the squadron’s aircrew is trained for combat. He currently flies the EA-6B Prowler, a tactical jet aircraft that conducts electronic warfare. “My home in Cedartown was on the centerline of a military low level training route, so since I was 8 years old, I’ve always wanted to be a pilot,” said Benton.

Like Benton, Huffstetler has also been inspired by other Marines. “Many of my heroes are Marines. Marines have the highest standards and I like a challenge.”

Huffstetler is challenging his fellow Marines by teaching them college courses. He currently teaches college math to 10 Marines through Park University. He has also been attending classes himself by taking a class on the local dialect called Pashtu.

“I can say hello and thank you to the local nationals. You should see the Afghans stand taller and prouder when an American talks to them,” said Huffstetler.

Huffstetler also serves as the Training Non-commissioned Officer and provides assistance to Marines as they use the Marine Corps Distance Learning Portal. He, like his fellow Marines, will attend martial arts courses to earn a gray belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP).

Huffstetler is not the only person in his family to serve in the military. His wife, Ana, a native of Costa Rica and Honduras, is in the U.S. Navy. After he completes his service in two years, Huffstetler hopes to return to Harvard to obtain a Masters in Business Administration and eventually become a college professor.

Benton, who has two daughters with his wife Stacy, will finish out his current set of orders in two years. Although he has six years left in the Marine Corps, he does not plan on returning to civilian life anytime soon.

“I’ll stay in at least 20 years— longer if they let me. I really like what I do for a living,” Benton said.

These two men, miles from Georgia and in the middle of a combat zone, prove that even from across the world, UWG alumni are making a difference.

“I really enjoyed my time at West Georgia. It was close enough to home that I could stay in touch with my high school friends but still be far enough away to enjoy the college experience,” said Benton.

Huffstetler also has very fond memories of his alma mater and remains in contact with many of his former professors.

“You would be hard pressed to find a better chemistry department in the University System of Georgia,” he said. “They go to bat for their students, they provide outstanding research opportunities, and most importantly they deeply care about their students’ success.”

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