VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Twenty-one students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 23-06 received their wings during a ceremony held March 3 at Vance Air Force Base.
The guest speaker at the Class 23-06 graduation ceremony was retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Myers received his pilot wings at Vance in June 1965. During his career, he flew more than 4,100 hours in the F-4, F-16, F-15, T-33, C-21 and C-37.
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.
The Class 23-06 award winners were:
2nd Lt. Dustin Kopp received the Academic Award, the Flying Training Award, the Air Education & Training Command Commander’s Trophy and was named a Distinguished Graduate;
1st Lt. Tucker Bone received the Leadership Award;
2nd Lt. Kyle Nickman was named a Distinguished Graduate;
2nd Lt. Athan Abuyuan received the Wingman Award.
Also receiving their pilot wings during the ceremony were: Capt. Michael Schreiber; 1st Lts. Colin Jonasen, Brady Tomlak, Zachary Bradley; 2nd Lts. Duncan Burke, Wyatt Couey, Benjamin Dahlgren, Andrew Dittman, Jace Duckworth, Brandon Gyrion, Bradley Keating, Zechariah LaRocque, Colton Leos, David Mingus, Alvin Sanders, Ryan Tierney and Addison Toney.