Twenty students receive their pilot wings during Class 23-04 graduation ceremony

  • Published
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Twenty students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 23-04 received their wings during a graduation ceremony held Jan. 6 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Having completed their initial aviation training in the T-6A Texan II, the newly pinned pilots will continue in either the T-1A Jayhawk or the T-38C Talon training aircraft at Vance.

Guest speaker at the Class 23-04 graduation ceremony was Col. Jacob Thornburg, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing vice commander at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. Thornburg earned his Air Force pilot wings at Vance in 2001.

Class 23-04 award winners were:
2nd Lt. Alissa Till received the Academic Award;
Capt. Robert Fisher received the Leadership Award and was a Distinguished Graduate;
2nd Lt. Caylen Dyni received the Flying Training Award, the Air Education & Training Command Commander’s Trophy and was a Distinguished Graduate;
2nd Lt. Stanford Hurley received the Wingman Award.

Also receiving their pilot wings during the ceremony were: 2nd Lts. Alison Bowman, Addison Brown, Tyler Dunn, Michael Emerson, Thomas Hancock, Stephanie Hand, William Irons IV, Ryan Jones, Erik Kazmierowicz, Christian Kuhn, Connor Lofthus, Derek Paul, Alexandra Prymek, Lauren Smith, Evan Wigham and Harris Williams Jr.