Fayetteville State University to Host Inaugural Military Appreciation Luncheon

Fayetteville, N.C. (March 27, 2023) — Fayetteville State University (FSU) Chancellor Darrell T. Allison, J.D., will host the University’s inaugural Military Appreciation Luncheon on Monday, April 10, 2023, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Rudolph Jones Student Center Ballroom on the FSU campus.

The university will welcome state and city officials, alumni, business, and military leaders from Fort Liberty, community partners, faculty, staff and students.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP here by April 7.

The luncheon honors active-duty military personnel, veterans, military spouses and dependents for their sacrifice and service to our great nation. General Michael X. Garrett, USA (retired), former commanding general of the United States Army Forces Command, will be the keynote speaker.

“It is our honor and privilege to gather as a community to recognize and celebrate our military service members and their families for their commitment and sacrifice to our country,” Allison said. “As the nation’s leading HBCU for military and military-affiliated students, FSU is dedicated to ensuring they have every opportunity to succeed in life both during and following their service. We are extremely proud to be a part of their journey and appreciate all they do.”

Garrett is an executive leadership advisor, public speaker and military family advocate based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He sits on the boards of directors for First Command Financial Services, Inc., and the Semper Fi & America’s Fund. He also serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security with the Middle East Institute and as a senior mentor for the Army War College.

The son of an Army Command Sergeant Major and the father of two young adults on their own military and military-family journeys, Garrett has spent his entire life in and around the U.S. Army.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Garrett graduated from Xavier University’s ROTC program, earned a B.S. in criminal justice and was commissioned as an Infantry officer in 1984. He served his formative years in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. Over a decade, he wore the scrolls of the regimental headquarters and each of its three ranger battalions before commanding an infantry battalion of his own in the 82nd Airborne Division.

His distinguished 38-year active military career culminated in commanding U.S. Army Forces Command and its 750,000 combat and support personnel across the United States from 2019 to 2022. His earlier command tours included U.S. Army Central and its soldiers serving throughout the Middle East; U.S. Army Alaska; and the Army’s first Alaska-based airborne brigade, which Garrett established and deployed into Iraq in the mid-2000s.

Garrett’s awards include the Ellis Island Honors Society’s Medal of Honor, an honorary doctorate from Methodist University, and multiple U.S. military decorations including the Distinguished Service and Defense Superior Service medals. He is also a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Since retiring from the military, Garrett and his wife, Lorelei, settled in Charlotte and enjoy spending time with their two children and grandchild.