Georgian Student to Join U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
On Tuesday, May 29, 2007, the American Academy of Tbilisi hosted a press conference and acceptance letter ceremony celebrating the appointment of Tornike Todria to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. A student of American Academy's 2007 graduating class, Tornike will be the first Georgian student to attend West Point.
Mr. Richard Lussen, Director of the American Academy congratulated Mr. Todria and his parents, who also attended the ceremony, and stressed that Mr. Todria's appointment is a profound personal accomplishment and a significant moment in Georgian-American military relations. Mr. Lussen thanked the U.S. Embassy in Georgia for its support for the American Academy in his welcome speech and said “We were founded as an American-style high school for Georgian students…to help prepare the best Georgian students for colleges and universities both in Georgia and abroad. …Tornike’s appointment to West Point represents a historic milestone in the school’s history and in the history of recent cooperation between the U.S. and Georgia.”
Addressing the audience, Defense Attaché for the U.S. Embassy, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Hester, pointed out that all the Americans wearing uniforms to the event were the graduates of West Point and stressed that when they were accepted to the Academy their parents had been as proud as Tornike’s parents today. Lieutenant Colonel Hester emphasized that Tornike’s accomplishment and future success is equally important for him personally, for the institution and for building the armed forces of Georgia. Lieutenant Colonel Hester extended special thanks to Deputy Chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Major Darren Smith who played a critical role over the last year and a half in preparing Tornike for the U.S. Military Academy application process.
Also attending the event were representatives of the Department of Defense and Ministry of Education of Georgia, founding trustee of the American Academy, Mr. Guivy Zaldastanishvili, as well as ODC Chief LTC Robert Hamilton.
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