We Employ Veterans

Bulloch County Schools is proud to employ reservists and veterans. We would like to spotlight these veterans who serve within our school district. Join us in thanking them and all veterans for their service to our country then and our community now.

First Sergeant (retired) Lonnie Roberts is an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp instructor at Statesboro High School. 1Sgt. Roberts served in the Army for 26 years from 1992 to 2018, including combat tours of duty during the Iraq War.

He is a Purple Heart medal recipient, and he also received two Bronze Star medals and a Bronze De Fleury, an engineering award. During his career, he was stationed in Germany, Missouri, Louisiana and Georgia.

Tonyha Williams is the secretary for Mattie Lively Elementary School. She served in the Army from 1977 to 1981 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. She was an ordnance instructor, where she taught ordnance officers how to make sure weapons and ammunition were safe and secure. She served as a Brigade Honor Guard for three years, and was the first female soldier selected as Honor Guard of the Month, a distinction she won three times.

Williams also was the original poster soldier for women in a non-traditional field for the Army’s “Be All that You Can Be” recruitment campaign that began in 1980. 

While in the Army, Williams received an Army Commendation Award and was chosen as the Soldier of the Year in 1979. 

Richard McCombs served 23 years in the Army National Guard from 1982 to 2005, achieving the rank of Major (P). During the course of his Army National Guard service, he served with the 28th Infantry Division in Pennsylvania, the 53rd Infantry Separate Infantry Brigade in Florida, and in the 48th Infantry Brigade in Georgia.

While with the 28th Infantry Division, he worked as a Forward Observer, Infantry Company Fire Support Officer, and a Fire Support Team Chief. With the 53rd Infantry he served as a Fire Support Team Chief, Fire Support Plans Officer, Firing Direction Center Officer, Battery Fire Direction Officer, Firing Battery Executive Officer, Firing Battery Commander, Battalion S-4, Battalion Fire Direction Officer, and Commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battery. He was also the Brigade Chemical Officer while with the 53rd and 48th Infantry Brigades.

McCombs is a five-time teacher of the year, receiving the coveted accolade at all three schools in which he has served during his 33-year teaching career: Pahokee Middle Senior High School (twice) and Lake Worth Community High School in Florida and Statesboro High School (twice). He was SECME National Teacher of the Year in 2013, and a top-three finalist for the honor in 2008.  He has also been selected as a STAR teacher multiple times by Bulloch County STAR students.

His military commendations are also impressive with two Army Commendation Medals, an Army Achievement Medal, four Army Reserve Components Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and an Armed Services Reserve Medal.

Thank you to veterans like Richard McCombs who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you.

Barbara Hawkins is a school nutrition assistant at Statesboro High School. She served in the Army from 2001 to 2005 as a mechanic in the 596 Maintenance Company. She was stationed in Darstad, Germany and later was deployed to Iraq.

While in Iraq, she was injured when the military vehicle in which she was travelling was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). It fractured a bone in her neck, and she was unable to walk for 90 days. 

We appreciate her personal sacrifice to serve our country. 

Brent Whitaker is the director of choral activities and the Fine Arts Department chairman at Southeast Bulloch High School. He has led the school's choral programs to state and national acclaim.

Whitaker served in the military from 1992-2018. He began his service in the Army, where he was a combat engineer for six years. He then served in the Air National Guard for the remainder of his 26-year military career. 

He achieved the rank of senior master sergeant, and he was deployed to Qatar, Africa, Kuwait and Afghanistan. During the United States’ war with Afghanistan, he served in operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel. 

In the Air National Guard, he applied his musical talents as a trumpet player and lead vocalist for the Band of the South. He was also promoted to serve as the superintendent of the 572nd Air National Guard Band.

Whitaker has earned an Army Commendation Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals. 

Thank you to veterans like Brent Whitaker who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you.

Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.) Eric Heffner is the senior Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp instructor and Rifle Team coach at Statesboro High School and the Region 9 JROTC area coordinator.  

Lt. Col. Heffner served in the Army from 1989-2017. During his military career he was stationed at bases in Germany, Korea, Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, and Virginia. He was deployed to the middle east for 49 months as part of the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

For his time and service, he received three Bronze Stars, Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Combat Action Badge. 

Thank you to veterans like Lt. Col. Heffner who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you.

Priscilla Gordon-McClain is a special education paraprofessional at Julia P. Bryant Elementary School. She served in the Army for 21 years, from 1981 to 2002. She was an advanced dental specialist with the U.S. Army Dental Command. During her service she was stationed in Alabama, Texas, Arizona, Kentucky and six different bases in Germany. Thank you to veterans like Priscilla Gordon-McClain who served our country and continue to serve our community. 

First Sergeant (1SG) David Redwine is an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) instructor at Statesboro High School within the school district's Career Technical & Agricultural Education program.

He served in the Army from 1987 to 2007. During his 20 years of active duty, he was deployed with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as part of the United States’ war with Iraq. He was a MOS 15Y AH-64 Armament/Electrical/Avionics Systems Repairer for the Apache Armament/Electrical Maintenance (Boeing AH-64 Apache Helicopter).

He received many commendations including the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Award), Drill Sergeant Badge, Air Assault Badge and a Master Aviation Maintenance Badge.

Thank you to veterans like 1SG Redwine who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you. 

Jennifer Sneed is a special education teacher in Bulloch County Schools' Virtual Learning program.  Sneed served from 1986 to 2000, achieving the rank of staff sergeant.

She was stationed at bases in New Jersey, North Carolina, Panama, Georgia and Korea. In the Army, she began work as a tactical multichannel communications equipment operator. While stationed in Panama in 1989, she successfully provided wartime communications during Operation Just Cause, which was America’s invasion of Panama to restore democracy there and bring its former dictator, Manuel A. Noriega, to trial on drug charges.

Her other duty assignments during her career included being the first female driver for the 1109th Signal Brigade Commander, a multichannel communications team chief, a company training non-commissioned office, small extension node team chief, personnel services specialist and a financial consultant.

She received many commendations during her service: the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon 2nd Award, the Army Lapel Button, the Expert Rifleman Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.

Thank you to veterans like Jennifer Sneed who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you. #Veterans #VeteransDay2021 #ServiceAboveSelf #BullochGrit #SpecialEducation #SpEd  #VirtualLearning

Jack Thornton is a fourth-grade teacher at Sallie Zetterower Elementary School. Thornton served in the Air Force for 25 years from 1985 to 2011, and retired as a master sergeant. While in the Air Force, he was a radio frequency transmission systems craftsman. With this duty, he installed, configured and repaired radio frequency communications equipment. He also served as a recruiter.

Thornton was stationed at bases in the United Kingdom, Montana, Georgia, Germany and Wisconsin. He served in a number of military conflicts including the Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also part of Operation Provide Promise, which was a humanitarian relief mission for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For his service he was awarded the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the United Nations Medal, and a Kuwait Liberation Medal.

Thank you to veterans like Jack Thornton who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you. 

Lynda Harris, a bus driver for Bulloch County Schools, served in the Army from 1980 to 1990. She achieved the rank of sergeant and worked as a construction surveyor during her service.

Tresia Dunn, a bus driver for Bulloch County Schools, served for seven years in the Army and National Guard. She was a motor transport operator and an administration specialist. She was stationed in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Georgia. 

Dunn received multiple awards including the Army Service Ribbon, National Service Medal, Army Lapel Button, Southwest Asia Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Driver and Mechanic Badge, Expert Badge (Rifle), Army Good Conduct Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and an Army Achievement Medal. 

She is also one of only seven women to receive the Air Defense Artillery (ADA), patch while serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Thank you to veterans like Lynda Harris and Tersia Dunn who served our country and continue to serve our community. We are proud to have them as part of our driving force.

Naketris Hall is a fourth-grade teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School. She served in the Army for four years from 1994 to 1998 and achieved an E-4 Specialist rank.

She was stationed in Fort Campbell, KY and Bosnia. While in Bosnia, she was part of  Operation Joint Endeavor, where she was part of the peacekeeping forces deployed to supervise the ceasefire that was organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the Balkan civil war.

Thank you to veterans like Naketris Hall who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you.

Former Board of Education Chairman Mike Sparks, who represented Board District 2, served in the Georgia Army National Guard from 1971 to 1977.  He achieved the rank of Specialist 5, and he was a construction draftsman with the 75th Engineer Detachment at Fort Stewart, near Savannah.

Thank you to veterans like Mike Sparks who served our country and continue to serve our community. We appreciate you.