'Wolverines' win outstanding squadron honors

Cadet 1st Class Nathan Dial and Brig. Gen. Dana Born affix a 2010 Outstanding Squadron banner to Cadet Squadron 19's guidon during the Individual Awards Parade at the U.S. Air Force Academy's Stillman Parade Field May 24, 2010. Cadet Dial was the Fall 2009 Cadet Wing commander. General Born is the dean of the faculty. (U.S. Air Force photo/Rachel Boettcher)

'Wolverines' take outstanding squadron honors

Published May 27, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Don Branum
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadet Squadron 19 won the Outstanding Squadron of the Year award May 21 for the 2009-2010 Academic year.

The squadron took first place in military and academic performance and ended up in fourth place overall for athletics to earn the award.

"That was our goal the whole time," said Cadet 1st Class Emma Przybyslawski, cadet squadron commander for CS 19 and a native of San Antonio.

The outstanding squadron award encompasses military performance in areas such as marching and inspections, academic performance through grade point averages and athletic performance through intramural competition and physical and aerobic fitness tests, said Lt. Col. Dave Pike, CS 19's air officer commanding.

Cadet Przybyslawski credited Cadet 1st Class Brent Whiteman of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Cadet 2nd Class Dave Cook of Hastings, Neb., with helping the squadron achieve the award but added that everyone in the squadron played a role. She also thanked Colonel Pike for his role in helping CS 19 achieve top squadron honors.

"(Colonel) Pike is on top of everything, which is nice because he made sure everyone got recognition," she said.

"We got really lucky to win this," Cadet Cook said. "We're lucky that Emma and (Cadet 1st Class) Jason Fung were our squadron commanders, and we're lucky that we had great senior leadership the entire year."

Colonel Pike relinquished command of the squadron in a ceremony May 27. Cadets Przybyslawski and Whiteman graduated from the Academy and received their commissions May 26.