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By Capt. Carrie Cox

Maj. Kara Gittes Miller

BLACKSBURG, Va., November 14, 2008 -- Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumna Maj. Kara Gittes Miller, who received a degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 1999, has been selected as a Hokie Hero.

The corps Hokie Hero program, started in 2006 by ISP Sports and sponsored by the University Bookstore, honors Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni who are currently deployed. Recipients of this honor are featured during the radio broadcast of Virginia Tech football games, on the corps website, on the corps alumni website, and in the Corps Review magazine.

Miller, originally from Annapolis, Md., is currently stationed at Joint Base Balad as a member of the 332 Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (EAMXS), United States Air Force. She is responsible for leading the aircraft sortie generation efforts at the base. Her unit maintains five different types of aircraft, to include fighters, cargo, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles totaling almost 100 aircraft in all. In an average week, her unit safely launches and recovers 576 aircraft flights totaling 2,669 flight hours. She is also responsible for balancing and managing 15 on-going airfield and EAMXS construction projects, worth approximately $30 million. This is Miller’s second combat deployment.

During her senior year in the corps, Miller was the Executive Committee Chairman, charged with administering the highest level of the Cadet Disciplinary System. She also served as the Cadet Member-at-Large for the 1999 class council.

Miller hails from a military family as both of her parents and grandfathers served in the military. She has a twin sister, Jennifer, who also graduated from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets in 1999 and who is currently a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.

Read about other Hokie Heroes from 2008.

• Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumna Special Agent Christina Royal, who received a degree in sociology from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 2006;
• Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumna Maj. Kara Gittes Miller, who received a degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 1999;
• Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Capt. Eric Keith, who received a degree in psychology from the College of Science in 1999;
• Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Capt. Christopher Grasso, who received a degree in history from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 2000; and
• Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumna 1st Lt. Casey Middleton Dalton, who received a degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 2007.

Contact Capt. Carrie Cox at cacox@vt.edu or (540) 231-1718.

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