James Attaway of Quitman was promoted to the rank of Major in the United States Army on July 1.

Attaway is a combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Attaway graduated from Quitman High School in 1994, where he was senior class president and played varsity baseball.

Attaway began his military career as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Kosovo with this unit for a year-long mission.

After his tour of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division concluded, Attaway enrolled in Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, where he graduated with honors in 2004. He was also an honor graduate of the R.O.T.C. battalion and was commissioned as an officer in the Aviation branch of the Army.

Attaway and his family deployed to South Korea for three years, where he served as Company Commander and on the Battalion Staff of a Combat Aviation Brigade. As an Army aviator, Attaway pilots the CH 47 Chinook helicopter.

Attaway's many awards and decorations include Army Aviator Wings, a Parachutist badge, Air Assault badge and the U.S. Army Ranger tab.

During his most recent combat deployment, Attaway served as Aviation Liaison Officer with the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group, and operated out of Kandahar, Afghanistan. There, he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in a combat zone.

Attaway will graduate from the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. this December. He will simultaneously earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University, which is located in Leavenworth, Kan.

Attaway and his wife, Shauna Gillam Attaway, have two children: Daisy, age eight, and Jae, age four. His parents are Jim and Sally Attaway of Quitman, and he has one sister, Emily Attaway, also of Quitman. Shauna Attaway is the daughter of Bob and Karen Gillam of Longview.