Proceeds from APSU Military Alumni Chapter Dinner will go to CSM (R) Francis (Frank) R. McFadden Military Scholarship Endowment
By: Payton Baggett November 3, 2023
Austin Peay State University hosted the Military Alumni Chapter Dinner at 6 p.m. (CDT) in the Morgan University Center Ballroom on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. The University would like to thank Fortera Credit Union for their continued support as the presenting sponsor of the event. Proceeds from the event went to the CSM (R) Francis (Frank) R. McFadden Military Scholarship Endowment. During the dinner, it was also announced that the CW5 (Ret) Gary Linfoot Military Scholarship, which benefited from last year’s dinner, has now been fully funded by the friends and members of the APSU Military Alumni Chapter.
“This year’s Military Alumni Chapter Dinner was a celebration of all the ways in which our military-affiliated alumni and friends contribute to our University and their community,” APSU Vice President for Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy Kris Phillips said. “Their dedication to scholarships like this one truly makes the difference for some of our most hardworking students.”
The late Command Sergeant Major Francis (Frank) R. McFadden was born in Montreal, Canada in August 1958. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1963. He entered the U.S. Army in 1976 and served his first years in Germany, then Fort Devens, Massachusetts and finally with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before entering the Special Forces in 1981.
Upon completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course, Command Sergeant Major McFadden was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) — first at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, then at Fort Campbell, Kentucky — as a Communications Sergeant. After his graduation from Sergeants Major Academy, he returned to Fort Campbell as Sergeant Major, Company. Bravo, 1st Battalion and then again as the Battalion Operations Sergeant Major. He was appointed Command Sergeant Major in 2000 and transferred to Fort Bragg to serve as the Battalion Command Sergeant Major, 1st Battalion, 3rd SFG (A). Shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, he transferred to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and served as the Command Sergeant Major with oversight over the training and build-up of Green Berets. In 2002, he was selected to serve as Command Sergeant Major, 3rd SFG (A) at Fort Bragg, where he served until his retirement in 2006 after more than 30 years of service within the U.S. Army and 25 years within the Special Forces Regiment.
Command Sergeant Major McFadden’s operational experience includes many deployments to almost every country in the Middle East and Southwest Asia and many countries in western Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Caucasus. His combat deployments include the Persian Gulf, Somalia and Afghanistan. He holds many military awards.
He served as a contractor for 5th SFG (A) from 2007 to 2009 and as a Department of the Army Civilian from 2009 to 2020. He has been awarded the Army Superior Civilian Service Award for his dedication to the unit and the Regiment and was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment in 2017. Command Sergeant Major McFadden also served on the board of the local Special Forces Chapter (Chapter 38). He was elected in 2010 to serve as the president. He was also the treasurer and assistant treasurer, managing an annual budget of over $400,000 and assets totaling over $1 million. He sadly passed away on August 22, 2023, at the age of 65.
“As Austin Peay is the leading higher education institution for military-affiliated students in our region, we strive to continually add opportunities for those students to receive the support they need to earn their degrees as quickly and efficiently as possible,” APSU President Mike Licari said. “This new scholarship and the many scholarships previously established by the APSU Military Alumni Chapter play a critical role in making that happen.”
To support APSU fundraising initiatives, contact the Office of Philanthropy at 931-221-7127.
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