Mark W. Tillman is the epitome of the Air Force’s service before self core value. He was born on 27 December 1957 in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. In his formative years, his fascination with rocketry and aircraft led him to a bachelor of science degree in chemical...
Harry T. Stewart Jr. is one of America’s most decorated Tuskegee Airmen. He was born on 24 July 1924, in Newport News, Virginia, near Langley AFB. At the age of two, Stewart’s family moved to Queens, New York, just a few minutes from North Beach Airport....
William Y. Smith is an inspiration of perseverance through adversity. Born on 13 August 1925 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, he was the first in his family (who were established in the legal profession) to pursue a military career. Smith graduated from the US Military...
Brian Shul was born in Quantico, Virginia, in 1948. He graduated from East Carolina University in 1970 with a Bachelor’s Degree in history. Later that year he joined the Air Force and attended pilot training at Reese AFB, Texas. Following pilot training, he was...
Cesar A. “Rico” Rodriguez Jr. was born on 22 March 1959 in El Paso, Texas. The son of a career Army officer, Rodriguez wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and enrolled in The Citadel as a means to play sports and become an Army officer. An...
Deanie Bishop Parrish, like so many of the Greatest Generation, doesn’t consider herself a hero. She regards her service as one of the elite Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) as an honor and a privilege. Born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, in 1922, Deanie grew...
Few boys grow up believing that one day their actions will save the lives of thousands. At age 10, Arieh Oz was certainly no exception. He was just grateful to be alive. Yet his story is a lifelong testimony of courage, honor, strength, and a desire to help those in...
Randy Jones has contributed mightily to Army aviation during a stellar 30-year career. He has served with honor and valor in combat to include Vietnam, Panama, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia where his heroism earned him the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the...
Michael Vincent Hayden is one of America’s great cyber domain leaders. He was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child he always had a strong fascination with history and research, skills that would serve him well...
Phil “Hands” Handley is credited with the highest speed air-to-air gun kill in the history of aerial combat. Born on 9 April 1935, in Wellington, Texas, he dreamed of becoming an Army Air Corp fighter pilot from the first moment he saw pictures of the...
William “Willy” Driscoll, and his pilot Randy “Duke” Cunningham, were America’s first aces of the Vietnam War. Driscoll, born in 1947, earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Stonehill College in 1968. In 1970, he received...
Sgt Israel “DT” Del Toro was born on 27 April 1975, in Joliet, Illinios. In 1988, his father died of a heart attack, and a short time later his mother was killed by a drunk driver. As the oldest of four children, and just a teenager, Israel became the...
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, James L. Brooks entered the Army Air Corps in 1942. Jim attended pilot training at Kelly and Moore Fields, Texas, and upon graduation as a second lieutenant, he was assigned to the 52d Fighter Squadron stationed in the Panama Canal Zone....
