AFA ‘super’ talks to SUPT grads

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Air Force Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria spoke June 29 to newly-winged graduates of the base’s 56-week Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) program at Columbus AFB. The “super” was guest speaker at a graduation ceremony for 20 new AF pilots. “As the Air Force Academy superintendent, I’m responsible for turning 18-year olds ultimately into lieutenants,” he said to the grads. “It’s so exciting to be here today to see what these lieutenants become.” In speaking of his first assignments after earning his AF wings, Silveria that he didn’t want any of those posts, but learned that ‘That’s what the Air Force needed’ and I needed to be the best ‘fill in the blank I could be’,” he said. “If they needed an instructor pilot, I’d be the best instructor I could be.” Silveria told the grads that he cherishes memories of his time as an instructor pilot. “The chance to be with the kind of people who want to serve, who want to work hard, who want have an impact, who care about what they’re doing? I can’t imagine doing anything with anyone else,” he said. Silveria has more than 3,900 hours in a variety of aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters. He was assigned instructor-pilot duties twice: At the now-defunct William AFB near Phoenix and Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. In the primary phase of training, students fly the T-6 trainer; followed by the T-6 and T-38 phases. Students entering training at CAFB average 475 officers annually. (Source: Columbus AFB 07/05/18)