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Matthew Joseph La Porte

Matt La Porte, 20, a freshman from Dumont, N.J., was a 2005 graduate of Carson Long Military Institute, in New Bloomfield, Pa.

Carson Long posted a memorial photograph of La Porte in his school uniform on its Web site.

La Porte credited the military institute with turning his life around. In a graduation speech printed in the school yearbook, La Porte said that the military institute was his second chance.

La Porte was attending Virginia Tech on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, according to officials in Dumont.

First Lieutenant Garry Hallman was a friend and instructor at Carson Long who said he kept in touch with his former student. He says La Porte was a member of Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets and was considering majoring in political science.

According to his profile on a music Web site, La Porte's favorite artists were Meshuggah, Metallica, Soundgarden, Creed and Live.


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