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Graduating the future of flight: Class 24-15

  • Published
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

Forty-nine U.S. Air Force officers were awarded the coveted silver wings as a symbol of their hard work and training during a graduation ceremony held Sept. 20, 2024.  

Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) is a training program that helps prepare prospective military pilots. Upon completion of the program, graduates earn their silver wings as Air Force aviators. 

The speaker at the Class 24-15 graduation ceremony was U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Caldwell, 47th Flying Training Wing, deputy commander, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Caldwell received his commission in 2001 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Clemson University, South Carolina. As a mobility pilot, he has flown the C-130E/H and KC-135R/T aircraft supporting numerous contingency operations in Southwest Asia. He was selected for Air Mobility Command's PHOENIX REACH program in 2008 and later served as an Air Officer. commanding at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has over 3,300 flight hours performing combat airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation, and air refueling missions. Prior to assuming his current position, Colonel Caldwell was the Director of Operations, 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. 

 Receiving their pilot wings during the ceremony were: 

Capt. James Kersey 

Capt. Drake McCall 

Capt. John Seiter 

Capt. Karen Suarez Medina 

1st Lt. Sebastian Almonte Orosco 

1st Lt. Catherine Cavanaugh 

1st Lt. Nicholas Gabert 

1st Lt. Blake Py 

2nd Lt. Michael Abraham  

2nd Lt. Brennan Anderson 

2nd Lt. Garrett Anderson 

2nd Lt. Austin Barok 

2nd Lt. Alexander Bergemann 

2nd Lt. William Brinson 

2nd Lt. Skylar Burke 

2nd Lt. Ryan Campbell 

2nd Lt.  Brannon Davis 

2nd Lt. Mallory Dawes 

2nd Lt. Barrick DeBoni 

2nd Lt. Michael Dolgos 

2nd Lt. Dylan Frankhouser 

2nd Lt. Hunter Fujitani 

2nd Lt. Eduardo Garcia 

2nd Lt. David Gochnour 

2nd Lt. Zachary Haggett 

2nd Lt. Grant Hardy 

2nd Lt. Justin Harmon 

2nd Lt. Stephen Herrick 

2nd Lt. Samuel Johnson 

2nd Lt. Matthew Kanney 

2nd Lt. Ian Keel 

2nd Lt. Ian Keller 

2nd Lt. Joseph Lee 

2nd Lt. Kenton Leffler 

2nd Lt. Dallas Meldrum 

2nd Lt. Wesley Mills 

2nd Lt. Austin Muench 

2nd Lt. Jonathan Owen 

2nd Lt. Jacob Petrick 

2nd Lt. Byron Powell 

2nd Lt. William Radtke 

2nd Lt. Justin Ratcliffe 

2nd Lt. George Ritchie 

2nd Lt. Thomas Rottinghaus 

2nd Lt. Chanakya Sharma 

2nd Lt. Jaclyn Snyder 

2nd Lt. Joshua Sorensen 

2nd Lt. William Tuepker 

2nd Lt. Rafael Vasco 

 

 

In addition to the graduation ceremony, a special emphasis was placed on recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of military spouses. It served as a reminder that while the graduates were the ones receiving their wings, their achievements were also a testament to the love, sacrifice and constant support of their spouses, who serve alongside them in spirit and strength.  

“Military spouses are often said to ‘live in the shadows’,” said Lt Col. Elizabeth Music, Commander of the 47th Student Squadron. “Although not in uniform, spouses have an essential role to play and are the backbone of the military community. Tonight is about your pilots earning their wings, but also a recognition of you. Your love, sacrifice and ad nauseam quizzing of bold face procedures has not gone unnoticed.” 

The ceremony proceeded with the breaking of the wings, a tradition symbolizing the start of a new journey for the novice pilots. According to the tradition, the first pair of wings a pilot receives should never be worn. Instead, the wings should be broken into two halves to invite good fortune throughout the pilot’s aviation career. One half is kept by the pilot, while the other is given to a significant person in their life. To preserve that good luck, those two halves are said to only be brought together again in the next life. 

The event culminated in the pinning of the wings, where friends and family members affixed a pair of silver wings onto the graduates’ uniforms. This gesture signified the official transition of the students into winged aviators, fully prepared to embrace the forthcoming roles within the United States Air Force.  

Pilot wings are a symbol of hard work, training, and dedication. Aviation wings are issued to pilots who have achieved a certain level of proficiency or training.