Brother completes legacy

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Nicole Poff
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  An Air Force family's legacy is finally complete.
Within Class 05-01 is 2nd Lt Ryan Reed, the third and final brother to graduate Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base.
He graduates today.
1st Lt Jonathan Reed, the oldest of the three brothers, graduated UPT in Class 03-06 in March of 2003. He is stationed at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., flying a KC-135. 2nd Lt Ryan Reed's stepbrother, 2nd Lt Joshua King, graduated Class 04-04 this past January and is at Luke AFB, Ariz., flying the F-16.
Ryan and his two brothers always shared an interest in flying. The most recent graduate recalls the day he knew that being a pilot was in his future. His family was living in Australia at the time and the brothers were all participating in ROTC. He got an opportunity to fly in a glider.
"While soaring through the sky I thought, 'I have got to be a pilot, I have got to fly; this is so much fun,'" he said. "After that, everything I did was geared towards achieving that goal."
Ryan was still in college when his older brother graduated UPT.
"It helped having your older brother going through UPT before you did," Ryan said. "I look up to my older brother. Growing up you think how hard it is going to be to reach your goal of being a pilot, but you see your older brother doing it and you tell yourself, 'If he can do it, I can do it.'"
Though it may be coincidence that Ryan's stepbrother, Lieutenant King, ended up at Vance AFB for training, the recent graduate requested Vance AFB as his UPT base.
"My oldest brother got stationed here (for training) by coincidence," Ryan said. "My stepbrother requested to go elsewhere, but got Vance (AFB) instead. I picked Vance (AFB) to finish off the tradition."
The recent graduate's assignment is to Fairchild AFB, Wash., flying KC-135s. Maybe one day he will be assigned with his brothers but for now, his two brothers will reunite here today and they will all leave as 'brothers in arms.'