Decorated SBU alum and actor who played young Forrest Gump to speak at Vets Day events – St. Bonaventure

A decorated Army veteran who graduated from St. Bonaventure University and the man who portrayed young Forrest Gump in the blockbuster movie will be the featured speakers at Veterans Day events on campus this week.
Col. GeorgeCol. Patricia L. George (ret.) will be the keynote speaker at the university’s Veterans Day ceremony Friday, Nov. 11, near the Veterans Memorial outside the bookstore entrance to the Reilly Center. The ceremony begins at 12:40 p.m. and will be followed by an hors d’oeuvres reception from 1-3 p.m. in the Veterans Lounge on the second floor of the Reilly Center.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Michael Conner Humphreys will talk about his military and acting careers at 6:30 p.m. in the Walsh Science Center Auditorium.
George graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Psychology from St. Bonaventure in 1995. She was a Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned as an adjutant general’s corps officer at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, upon graduation.
She enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1988, obtained the rank of sergeant and was assigned in Stuttgart, Germany, where she served with the 510th Postal Company as a platoon leader.
In 2018, she was assigned as the assistant director of the Military Personnel Division at the Pentagon, where she advised senior executives in the immediate office of the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 14 Under Secretaries of Defense, and 10 supported defense agencies on a full range of joint manpower and human resources policies and procedures for military personnel.
As her final assignment, she was appointed as the associate dean of Faculty Research and Outreach and assigned as an instructor for the National War College in Washington, D.C.
She retired Nov. 1 and is working as a consultant advising the Army on redesigning their talent-based leadership Selection Board System 2.0.
George received an honorary Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College following her two-year teaching tenure, has earned a Master of Science in National Resources Strategy from Dwight D. Eisenhower School, and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University, summa cum laude.
Her military awards and decorations include Distinguished Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medal, Bronze Star (x2), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (x2), Meritorious Service Medal (x6), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (x5), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NATO Medal with Bronze Star, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Military
Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, and the Drill Sergeant Badge.
Michael HumphreysHumphreys was 8 years old when he was selected to portray young Forrest Gump in the 1994 film. He then returned to life as a third-grader and, while he didn’t pursue more film opportunities, he continued participating in school and other local theatrical productions.
In 2004, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier and almost immediately upon arrival in Germany, he deployed with his unit to Al Anbar Province, Iraq, in what would ultimately become a 15-month tour of duty. He served at Fort Riley in Kansas after his return to the United States, completing his Army service in 2008.
Humphreys has worked as a security guard and taught English as a second language to Chinese school children. He has given several interviews, posted inspirational YouTube videos, and has ventured back onto to the big screen. In 2011, he played the role of “Eddie” in the independent World War II film “Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers.”
Humphreys has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of North Alabama.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 college rankings edition.
 
 
 

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