Northgate High School graduate and U.S. Army Spc. Adrian Mills gave his last full measure of devotion on Sept. 29, 2011 when he was killed in Kirkuk, Iraq. The Coweta County Commission on Dec. 17 named a portion of Fischer Road the Army Spc. Adrian “A.J.” Mills Highway.
Mills graduated from Northgate in 2007 where he had served in the Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force ROTC.
“He let it be first known in the seventh grade that he wanted to serve his country,” the proclamation read. “Spc. Mills wanted everybody to remember what their freedom is worth and that life is short, so live it with no regrets. In 2007 he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 272nd Military Police Company, 519th Military Police Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade at Fort Polk.”
It was on Sept. 29, 2011 that Mills was about to go on a military operation with the 272nd Military Police unit in Kirkuk, Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn when he was fatally injured.
Noting Mills as a “true American who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life for his country,” commissioners dedicated the portion of Fischer Road between Palmetto Tyrone Road and Raymond Hill Road as “Army Spc. Adrian ‘A.J.’ Mills Highway” in tribute to his contributions to the community and the country.
Before his time in the Army, Mills was known for his leadership abilities. Those abilities were exemplified in 2005 when he helped lead a school-wide drive to gather items desperately needed by the survivors of Hurricane Katrina resulting in securing more than 15,000 pounds of clothing, toys, diapers, wipes, water and other items, the proclamation said.
Accepting the proclamation for Mills’ family was Michelle Hise of Survivor Outreach Services.
