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Holm Center honors former ISR deputy chief of staff with distinguished alum award

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. William Russell
  • Maxwell Air Force Base Public Affairs

Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., inducted retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, a former headquarters U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, into its Holm Center alumni program during an induction ceremony at the University of Virginia, Nov. 1, 2024.

Deptula accepted the award at his alma mater, surrounded by his spouse and current cadre and cadets from his former unit, Home | Detachment 890 - Air Force Reserve Training Corps.

“I am truly humbled and honored to accept this award. It stands as a reflection of the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to serve alongside, and the shared commitment to a greater cause that continues to inspire me every day,” said Deptula. “In my 34 years of active service and 14 years since, advocating and educating about aerospace power I’ve partaken in and witnessed some of the most courageous and noble actions that epitomize the core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.”

Deptula was a distinguished graduate of AFROTC and earned his commission as a second lieutenant from UVA in 1974. During his career, he served and led in various tactical, operational and strategic positions, having flown over 3,000 flying hours, including 400 in combat. Notably, he planned attacks in support of the Desert Storm air campaign and commanded operations over Iraq and Antarctica. Furthermore, as director of the Combined Air Operations Center, Deptula directed the Afghan air campaign during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, and played a key role in humanitarian endeavors such as Operation Unified Assistance, supporting tsunami relief efforts in 2004 and 2005.

Addressing the cadets gathered at the ceremony, Deptula, who retired in Oct. 2010, spoke about the importance of staying the course in service to their country.

“This is a proud heritage and a legacy that you cadets must aspire to continue.” said Deptula.

Brig. Gen. Joesph L. Sheffield, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development commander, presided over the ceremony and spoke about the general’s reputation amongst UVA alums and his influence in the Air Force.

“From his beginnings at UVA as a distinguished graduate of ROTC, he went on to be a highly regarded pioneer of conceptualizing, planning and executing national security operations,” said Sheffield. It is an honor to present Lt. Gen. David Deptula the 2024 Holm Center distinguished alumni award.”

The distinguished alumni award was established in 2005. Deptula joins 21 others who have been previously inducted into the Holm Center alumni program. He is the first recipient from UVA, Detachment 890.

To be eligible for the honor, the nominee must have commissioned from AFROTC, either have attained the rank of lieutenant general or above [major general or above for non-line officers] and have been awarded the Silver Star Medal or higher precedence medal while attaining honorable recognition or distinction for an accomplishment with Air Force-wide or national/international significance.

“We are honored to have one of our own Det 890 alumni receiving this prestigious award, a testament not only to his dedication and excellence to service but to the values and leadership instilled in him from the very beginning,” added Col. Jason Bell, AFROTC Detachment 890 commander. “His remarkable career will continue to shape the next generation of Air and Space Force leaders as we reoptimize our cadet training to prepare for great power competition challenges.”

Previous inductees include former AFROTC graduates who once served in such positions as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force chief of staff, combatant commander, CIA and NSA director and retired NASA flight director.

The Holm Center provides coordinated leadership and policy direction for the Air Force's officer recruiting, training, and commissioning programs at AFROTC detachments at 145 universities, Officer Training School and the newly created Warrant Officer Training school.

It also directs the Air Force's high school citizenship training program - Air Force Junior ROTC and oversees over 800 Air Force Junior ROTC units on high school campuses around the world.

AFROTC Detachment 890 was established in September 1951, four years after the creation of the U.S. Air Force. Currently, the detachment is developing and supporting more than 200 student-leader cadets not only at UVA, but also James Madison University and Liberty University.

For more information on how to earn a commission through AFROTC and become a U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force second lieutenant, check out www.afrotc.com or visit a local AFROTC detachment for more details.