Air Force News 

In a US Air Force Pararescue selection course of 146 candidates, only a dozen completed the course—including Cameron Strawn, an assistant professor of aerospace studies at Brigham Young University.

Around 2,000 cadets representing colleges across the nation applauded as Brigham Young University’s Bernard F. Fisher squadron won the Robert O. Thompson Heritage Award at the Arnold Air Society annual conference. This award and recognition are the culmination of the many ways the cadets were motivated to serve as they learned about their squadron’s heritage.

At the start of the fall semester, Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, welcomed 11 new faculty members to the college. “At BYU Marriott, our faculty are dedicated teachers, exceptional scholars, and transformative role models. We are thrilled to welcome these new professors and know that their insights and experience will greatly enhance the educational experience of our students.”

Easton Allsop’s preparation to become a pilot officially began when he enrolled in BYU’s Air Force ROTC program. But his journey actually started in Bodney, England—the place where his great-grandfather trained to be a pilot and where Allsop first foresaw his own future.

In conjunction with Brigham Young University’s yearly presidential review of the Army and Air Force ROTC cadets, Brig. Gen. Derek O’Malley received the 2023 Patriot Award for his dedication to the values of duty, honor, country, God, and family.

Joseph Edmund wants to become a fighter pilot someday, but he knows that is no small task. Now as a current member of the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) at Brigham Young University, his hard work over the past 10 years is paying off as he steps closer toward making his dreams become a reality.

One of the most iconic marks of BYU is the slogan, "Enter to Learn; Go Forth to Serve." For Veterans Day this year, BYU's Army and Air Force ROTC programs remembered those who paid the ultimate sacrifice through military service and honored all those who exemplify this commission, including finance professor Jim Brau.

Upon completing his undergraduate degree in environmental science from BYU, Trenton Blair, compelled by the camaraderie he felt as a cadet in BYU’s Air Force ROTC program, jetted from soil labs to B-52 cockpits. After serving nearly a decade in the military, Blair has completed two deployments, forged lifelong connections, and recently landed a coveted assignment.

Dallas Meldrum remembers his first time flying as a young boy. He hopped in his grandpa’s Vans RV-6A airplane and sat on a stack of yellow-page phone books to see through the window. He even took hold of the stick and flew. To this day, he remembers how incredible it felt flying through the air. Those moments in Meldrum’s young life sparked a passion for aviation that came with him to BYU as he joined the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC), hosted by the Department of Aerospace Studies at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

As a teenage boy, C. Todd Linton fell in love with the airplanes that flew overhead near his home next to the old Denver Stapleton Airport. He spent hours learning and memorizing details of each model. This love eventually led him to a lifelong career as a pilot, which started at the BYU Air Force ROTC (AFROTC), hosted by the BYU Marriott School of Business aerospace studies program.  

The BYU Army and Air Force ROTC programs held three commissioning ceremonies during April and May 2022. The Air Force ceremony recognized 13 graduating cadets for their entries as second lieutenants into the United States Air Force, and the two Army ceremonies recognized a total of 18 graduating cadets for their entries as second lieutenants into the United States Army.

The BYU Air Force ROTC, hosted by the BYU Marriott aerospace studies program, was recently recognized with two awards from the U.S. Air Force ROTC. The awards highlight the hard work, dedication, and achievements of the program's staff members in 2021.

On November 11, 2021, the BYU Air Force and Army ROTC at the BYU Marriott School of Business commemorated Veterans Day through a wreath-laying ceremony and presidential review.

Staff Sergeant Jheran Carter is an example of an inspiring leader who may not always stand under the spotlight. As a faculty member for the Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) Detachment 855, or BYU Air Force, Carter enjoys getting to know the BYU Marriott community while making her mark behind the scenes as she manages the administrative details of the detachment.

A group of BYU Army ROTC students finished tenth out of forty-four teams in the April 2021 Sandhurst Challenge at West Point, New York. Competing against leading ROTC programs from around the country, BYU Army ROTC cadets pushed past their limits and used their military skills to complete an extreme competition, testing both their physical and mental capacities.

Erin Ricks, BYU Marriott’s Department of Aerospace Studies program manager at the BYU Marriott School of Business, recently received three Air Force and BYU awards recognizing her for her efforts and dedication to leadership in helping to improve and uplift the BYU US Air Force and Army ROTC programs. Since joining the program, Ricks has accomplished several firsts for the BYU ROTC programs as a nonmilitary program director.

Kray Jubeck’s parents encouraged him to live a service-oriented life almost every day of his childhood. Now a junior in the BYU Air Force ROTC program, Jubeck serves as a leader to his peers and exemplar of service, inspired by the program and his father’s example.

After a fulfilling career in the United States Air Force, Major Dan McCombs is finishing his last few years in the military as an ROTC instructor for the Air Force ROTC at the BYU Marriott School of Business. He hopes to pass on to the cadets whom he teaches a legacy of finding the good in each situation while sacrificing for their country.

In remembrance of the tragic events of September 11th, members from the BYU Army and Air Force ROTC joined together to reflect and honor the fallen.

On 23 April 2020, five BYU Marriott Army ROTC cadets commissioned into the US Army in person at BYU during individual small ceremonies broadcast over Facebook Live while ten additional cadets commissioned in a group commissioning ceremony via virtual conference call. In addition to these fifteen Army ROTC cadets, Air Force ROTC cadets will commission into the Air Force on 15 May through virtual conference calls or in-person with audiences of less than ten people.