Cleveland State Grad Receives State Honors For Service Overseas, Here At Home

  • Friday, December 4, 2020
Cleveland State Community College President Dr. Bill Seymour, right, at a Thursday presentation of the Chancellor’s Commendation Coin to Cleveland State Community College alumna Katina Green. The Polk County resident and 1991 Cleveland High School graduate served in the Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit of the United States Army during the Iraqi War.
Cleveland State Community College President Dr. Bill Seymour, right, at a Thursday presentation of the Chancellor’s Commendation Coin to Cleveland State Community College alumna Katina Green. The Polk County resident and 1991 Cleveland High School graduate served in the Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit of the United States Army during the Iraqi War.
The day after the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, Cleveland State Community College graduate Katina Green was among the first ground forces to roll in. Seventeen years later, the chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents is honoring her for her service abroad, as well as here at home. 

Cleveland State President Dr. Bill Seymour presented Ms. Green Thursday with the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans. It is a Challenge Coin, an honor bestowed upon only 34 of the more than 3,400 veterans enrolled in a Tennessee Board of Regents institution in 2019-2020.
Challenge coins are a rich tradition in all branches of the military and signify special achievement and excellence.

“Our veterans served our country, putting their own lives on hold,” said Dr. Seymour. “Being able to present this honor to Katina (Green) means so much to all of us at Cleveland State. We thank her for all she’s done, as well as the work she still plans to do in the future.”

After more than 10 years of service in the military as a member of the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (E.O.D.) unit, Ms. Green is back home in Southeast Tennessee pursuing her education and helping her fellow veterans here at home. With the experiences she faced in times of war, no one is better suited in dealing with tough situations.

“Basically, we were the military’s bomb squad,” said the former U.S. sergeant of her detail overseas. I served in Iraq, Bosnia, and several other nations handling E.O.D. details. Diffusing bombs, blowing others up, and all while wearing eighty extra pounds in my bomb suit each day really put wore me down physically over time.” But, it was more than physical pain that Ms. Green and her fellow vets were left to deal with. It was the mental and emotional side of things, too.

A 1991 graduate of Cleveland High School, Ms. Green would eventually leave the service behind in 2005. Knowing the pain a veteran brings home with them, Ms. Green knew one day she would want to serve again. This time, here at home helping her fellow vets adjust to life stateside.

This past summer, the 49-year-old Benton resident reached one goal of her journey when she graduated from Cleveland State Community College with two associate degrees, one in arts and one in sociology. Graduating from CSCC with a 3.98 GPA, an honors diploma and membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, Ms. Green is now a junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a double major in photography/multi-media and psychology. 

“Everyone has a phone. And, you can take pictures and use it as a therapy,” said Ms. Green. “Photography is seen as such an art from. It truly can help a lot of people learning to deal with stresses in their lives. It can be especially helpful for those with PTSD like our veterans and our first-responders.”

Currently, Ms. Green volunteers her time with two Southeast Tennessee non-profit organizations which help with two of her passions: veterans and animals.

S.H.A.R.P., Safe Haven Animal Rescue Program, in Benton helps get animals fed, medicated, spayed and neutered. Ms. Green helps provide services, as well as serve on the board of the Polk County non-profit. The other organization that receives her assistance is Who Saved Whom out of Bradley County. It’s known for helping both shelter dogs and military veterans. “They’ve got instructors who teach veterans how to train animals,” said Ms. Green. “They learn how to teach the shelter dogs basic commands to help make the animals more adoptable. It helps the facilities and the animals, of course. But, it really helps the veterans, too. Working with animals helps those dealing with things like anxiety and PTSD, much like our veterans deal with every day.”

The Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans was put into place this year to help recognize the impact all of our veterans have on our state. “I’m glad that there is this kind of recognition, especially for veterans,” added Ms. Green. “Veterans go through so much. Just transitioning from the military to civilian life all by itself is a huge change for the veteran. Then, being an older student and going back to college. So much of a transition. To receive this kind of an honor, just showing me that those in charge recognize the accomplishments of the veterans on campus. It is really appreciated.”

Ms. Green gave much of her praise to those who helped her within Cleveland State’s Office of Veterans Services. “They helped me make sure my honors program work was paid for,” said Ms. Green. “The basic costs of college were covered. But, to be able to take part in the honors program, it took an extra effort and Tishauna (Hoffman) was always there.” Ms. Hoffman is the Cleveland State Community College Veterans Services Coordinator.

The Tennessee Board of Regents and Chancellor Flora W. Tydings established this new commendation as a system-level award to honor the service, bravery and sacrifices of military veterans in the campus communities. “Our college communities are strengthened by the presence, the experience and the perspective of veterans and active duty military personnel – as students and faculty and staff,” said Dr. Tydings. “They – and the many different skills and leadership abilities they acquired during their service – are an important part of the great diversity of people and backgrounds on our campuses, which are all the richer as a result of their presence.”

Ms. Green and her husband, John, met during their military service. The future husband and wife would serve and survive a combined 31 years of military service; both members of the Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit. They have a daughter, Kailee, 20, who will be attending Cleveland State and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She will not be following in her mother’s explosive footsteps, though.

Her future major: nutrition.

For more information on Cleveland State Community College, call 423-472-7141 or visit the college at ClevelandStateCC.edu. Students are currently enrolled online and on-campus through the CSCC main campus in Cleveland, as well as CSCC’s Athens Center in Athens and Monroe County Center in Vonore. 

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