LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Twenty-five U.S. Air Force officers were awarded the coveted silver wings as a symbol of their hard work and training during a graduation ceremony held Jan. 8, 2026.
Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) is a training program that helps prepare prospective military pilots. Upon completion of the program, graduates earn their silver wings as Air Force aviators.
The guest speaker at the Class 26-04 graduation ceremony was U.S. Air Force Col. Jeffrey Marshall. Marshall is the acting Deputy Commander of the 19th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. He assists the Commander in the management and execution of the Air Education and Training Command flying training mission, from initial screening to advanced combat crew training. He has also logged over 3,100 hours in the C-17A, KC-135R, KC-46, T-37, T-6 and T-1 as a command pilot.
Receiving their pilot wings during the ceremony were:
1st Lt. Ryan Clements
1st Lt. Aidan Ellisor
2nd Lt. Alexander Ankney
2nd Lt. Abdulmalik Ariyo
2nd Lt. Cailen Arnold
2nd Lt. Enrique Bagley
2nd Lt. Richard Bazen
2nd Lt. David Buhman
2nd Lt. Cavan Cohoes
2nd Lt. Mark Diers
2nd Lt. Charles Eskew
2nd Lt. Joseph Fox
2nd Lt. Andrew Garza
2nd Lt. Kathleen Geyer
2nd Lt. William Hochmeister
2nd Lt. Jake Kealohi
2nd Lt. Mattthew Moniz
2nd Lt. Isaiah Noeldner
2nd Lt. Andrea Perham
2nd Lt. Kade Rush
2nd Lt. Chase Sager
2nd Lt. Jacob Snider
2nd Lt. Isaac Stewart
2nd Lt. Blaze Williams
2nd Lt. Jacob Zink
In addition to the graduation ceremony, a special emphasis was placed on recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of military spouses. It served as a reminder that while the graduates were the ones receiving their wings, their achievements were also a testament to the love, sacrifice and constant support of their spouses, who serve alongside them in spirit and strength.
“Tonight, we not only recognize the accomplishments of our pilots, but we take a moment to celebrate our Air Force spouses.” said Lt. Col. Aaron Borszich, 47th Student Squadron Commander. “While not in uniform, spouses are the backbone of our Air Force community. We thank you for your love and support. We thank you for celebrating with us when we slip the surely bonds of earth. And we thank you for comforting and encouraging us after a flight does not go as planned. Tonight, you and your spouse have crested one of the hardest climbs in an Air Force career and you did it together. But this was just the start.”
In the days leading up to graduation, Laughlin’s aircraft maintainers and student pilots participated in an appreciation ceremony to recognize the partnership between their respective roles. Maintainers presented pilots with the wings they would pin during the graduation event. In return, the student pilots offered their class patch as a token of appreciation. The exchange serves as a reminder that successful flight training is a team effort, supported by the contributions of dedicated personnel across the base.
The ceremony proceeded with the breaking of the wings, a tradition symbolizing the start of a new journey for the novice pilots. According to the tradition, the first pair of wings a pilot receives should never be worn. Instead, the wings should be broken into two halves to invite good fortune throughout the pilot’s aviation career. One half is kept by the pilot, while the other is given to a significant person in their life. To preserve that good luck, those two halves are said to only be brought together again in the next life.
The event culminated in the pinning of the wings, where friends and family members affixed a pair of silver wings onto the graduates’ uniforms. This gesture signified the official transition of the students into winged aviators, fully prepared to embrace the forthcoming roles within the United States Air Force.
Pilot wings are a symbol of hard work, training, and dedication. Aviation wings are issued to pilots who have achieved a certain level of proficiency or training.
More photos from the graduation ceremony can be found on our Flickr.