JULY/AUGUST AIRFORCEMAG.COMBrig. Gen. Michele
Edmondson became
USAFA’s 29th comman-
dant of cadets on May 31.
Academy Superintendent
Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria said
her experience—which
includes directing space
policy for the National
Security Council, three
master’s degrees, and an
undergraduate degree
in aerospace engineer-
ing—made her the best
candidate for the job. “My
challenge to you is to
elevate the performance
of the cadet wing to even
greater heights,” Silveria
said.Maj. Bradley DeWees
completed a Harvard
Ph.D. in three years as
part of an Air Force
fellowship. The USAFA
alum rose to the occasion
in part by coordinating
with security so he could
start his studies before
school buildings formally
opened to students each
day, according to the
university. He will serve as
the assistant director of
operations at Fort Carson
in Colorado, working with
the Army and USAF to
support ground com-
manders.Maj. Garret “Toro”
Schmitz was certified
as the F-16 Viper Demo
Team’s newest com-
mander and pilot on
May 16. Schmitz has
more than 2,500 flight
hours, 55 combat
missions supporting Op-
eration Inherent Resolve,
and more than a decade
of service under his belt.
His training included
more than “20 practice
missions and 45 hours
of study, which prepared
him for four certifica-
tions” at the 20th OG,
20th FW, 9th Air Force,
and ACC levels.”118th Force Support
Squadron Commander
Maj. Melissa Danley, the
first Active Duty USAF
oicer to lead an ANG
squadron, received ANG’s
2018 Lt. Gen. Norm Lezy
Award, which recognizes
“commanders in the per-
sonnel career field making
outstanding contributions
through their leadership
and ingenuity,” according
to an 118th Wing release.
Danley gave credit for the
award to her team. “We
say that leaders never win
awards based on what they
do, they win awards based
on what their folks do.”When Capt. Matthew
Powell had a chance to
repay his mentor, he never
wavered. Retired Lt. Col.
George “Buckshot” McK-
inney Jr.’s dying wish was
to have his remains flown
in an F-35A fighter over
Eglin AFB, Fla., where he
had been stationed several
times. An F-4 pilot who flew
in Vietnam, McKinney men-
tored Powell before he even
joined the Air Force. After
his death, Powell took his
ashes skyward. “He helped
me so much over the years,
and it was an honor to fly
him one last time.”SSgt. Michael Ginikos
has been recognized as
the 2018 Air National Guard
Firefighter of the Year.
Ginikos, who holds down a
full-time job and volunteers
with Habitat for Humanity
when he’s not battling
blazes, credited his Guard
experience with inspiring
his current eort to join the
Columbus Fire Department.
“I’m not just a firefighter
these two days a month,”
he said. “They want to see
me giving back to the com-
munity on a daily basis, and
that’s what I try to do.”Courtesy photo Photo: TSgt. Christopher GrossPhoto: TSgt. Michael Farrar Photo: L. Cunningham/USAFPhoto: USAFPhoto:SSgt. Anthony Agosti/ANGPhoto: ANGPhoto: USAF Photo: SrA. Kathryn ReavesFACES OF THE FORCE
Know of someone we should recognize? Send nominees to [email protected]Every US Air Force
Academy cadet over
comes obstacles to
earn their bars. But
2nd Lt. Parker Ham-
mond’s journey became
especially challenging
after a testicular cancer
diagnosis during his
junior year put his future
as an oicer in jeopardy.
After entering remis-
sion in September 2018
and getting the waivers
needed to commission in
January, Hammond be-
came an oicer in May.
Maj. Andrea Matesick
thought joining USAF
meant shedding her
dream of becoming a pro-
fessional equestrian, but
the F-15E weapons system
oicer and instructor at
Columbus AFB, Ohio, now
splits her time between
Strike Eagles and horse
competitions nationwide
as a member of the Air
Force Sport program’s
equestrian division. “If
you’re competing in a ...
sport ... at a certain level,
the Air Force will let you
go compete for them,” she
said.815th Airlift Squadron
loadmaster SrA. John
Boudreaux nearly lost
his flight status due to a
car crash that fractured
three of his vertebrae.
But after foregoing pain
medications, going under
the knife for surgery, com-
pleting physical therapy,
and a lot of paperwork,
his waiver was approved,
and he’s back in the air. “If
I wouldn’t have been fight-
ing to come back to fly,”
Boudreaux said, “I don’t
think I would have healed
as well because I wouldn’t
have had something to
drive me.”Photo: SrA. Cassidy Woody“None know better than
the combat veteran that the
cost of freedom is high,” re-
tired Lt. Col. Barry Bridger
who spent 2,232 days in the
“Hanoi Hilton” during the
Vietnam War told Outt air-
men during a briefing. “What
I am most inspired about is
his message that the ideas
of the American spirit exist
throughout generations and
that this young generation
has that same DNA” said
then-55th Wing Command-
er Col. Michael Manion, who
said the current generation
of airmen possesses “that
same core, that same spirit
of resiliency, innovation.”