Cadets earn scholarships to study in United Kingdom Published Dec. 2, 2011 By Gino Mattorano Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two senior cadets were offered scholarships to study in the United Kingdom upon their graduation from the Academy next year. Cadets 1st Class Frederick Feigel and Peter Lind were selected for the Marshall program, which finances up to 40 young American scholars of high ability to study for two-year graduate degrees at a U.K. institution in any field of study, according to the Marshall Scholarship website. The stated program goal is to provide future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society and to strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament and named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C Marshall, the scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. Studying and earning a degree in the U.K. allows graduates to continue to grow in a truly international environment, according to Dr. Kenneth Lavin, director of the Academy's Graduate Education Programs office. "It also maximizes their professional development by enabling graduates to continue intensive study in areas of value to the Air Force early in their careers," he said. "Additionally, it allows our graduates to establish contacts with their non-military contemporaries who will be the leaders of tomorrow in their respective academic fields, as well as in their countries." Lavin believes that Feigel and Lind are ideal candidates to participate in the Marshall program and the experience will not only benefit their careers but will also be beneficial for the Air Force. "Both Cadet Feigel and Cadet Lind are dedicated scholars who want to make the world a better place and want to take an active part in making this happen," Lavin said. "I would be proud to serve with either of these young men." Feigel is assigned to Cadet Squadron 01 and is slated to be an intelligence officer upon completing his education. He said he was incredibly surprised to be picked for a Marshall scholarship. "It's something you dream about, but it's pretty hard to believe it actually happened," Feigel said. "It's a bit surreal. It's really an incredible opportunity and I'm very grateful to everyone at the Academy and elsewhere who has helped me get here." Feigel, who is from Philadelphia, hopes to attain a graduate degree in Middle Eastern studies from Oxford University and believes the opportunity will be very helpful later in his career. "Intelligence officers are tasked with understanding strategic implications and challenges, and I think this particular degree will very much help me to do that better," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting different perspectives on a variety of situations and studying in a foreign environment again. The U.K. is an incredibly important ally of the U.S., so having dialogue in and out of academic settings is important to better understanding how we can work together strategically. Feigel took a year off from his studies at the Academy to study Arabic and the Islamic culture. He spent a year in Jordan and lived in Rabat, Morocco for six weeks. While in Jordan with an Academy-sponsored program in the summer of 2009, Feigel lived with a Muslim host family. When he returned to Jordan in August 2009, he lived with an Arab Christian host family while studying Arabic at the University of Jordan through the Council on International Educational Exchange for two semesters. Subsequently, in the summer of 2011, he studied Arabic for six more weeks in Morocco. Key accomplishments: - Twice a guest speaker at the Arabic Language Education and Resource Network Conference at West Point, N.Y., in September 2010 and at the Air Force Academy in September 2011: Spoke about the necessity of teaching colloquial Arabic in the U.S. classroom. - Air Force Academy delegate to the Aspen Institute symposium on "The Future of Democracy in the Arab World" in July 2011. - Council on International Educational Exchange Arabic Language program class liaison from January 2010 to May 2010: Represented the Arabic language class to program staff on academic and quality of life issues in the rigorous Arabic-only program. - Exchange cadet from the U.S. Air Force Academy to the U.S. Naval Academy from January 2011 to May 2011. - Basic Cadet Training Element NCO from July 2009 to August 2009: Directly trained approximately 30 incoming cadets in their transformation from civilian to military life. Lind, who is assigned to CS 15, was ecstatic to find out he had been selected for the Marshall scholarship. "It's definitely a competitive process and other finalists were extremely qualified," he said. "I felt fortunate just being part of the process." Lind, who is from Wilsonville, Ore., plans to study International Security Studies and Middle East and Central Asian Security Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "In an increasingly globalized world with new technologies and ways of waging war, I think that a well-rounded education - and one that explores the tools available for security around the world - will be extremely pertinent to the Air Force and the ability of the U.S. military to remain a global leader," he said. "I'm looking forward to the university environment and education in the U.K. I think security studies will be applicable to almost every job I will have in the Air Force, particularly knowledge of key areas such as the Middle East and Asia." Lind has also had the opportunity to travel while at the Academy, most recently in 2010, to Jerusalem working with the Spafford Children's Center, a clinic his family started in the early 1900s where both Palestinian and Jewish doctors work side by side to help children in the Middle East. He also has been involved in numerous community service projects in Colorado and Oregon. Key accomplishments: · Earned his private pilot's license and flies regularly, and also earned his free fall parachuting jump wings after five successful free fall jumps. · In 2008, he helped collect medical and educational supplies and took them to Cuba on a humanitarian aid trip, visiting schools, hospitals and clinics across the country. · Flight simulator training instructor, and a graduate of the Academy's soaring program. · An Eagle Scout who has organized numerous community service projects within the Boy Scouts of America including wildlife restoration and beach cleanup. · Cadet Group 2 director of operations - directly responsible for more than 1,100 cadets living and training at the Academy. · Helped develop a new combat survival training program, training and leading more than 1,100 cadets as they learned to survive and thrive in the wilderness of Colorado. He has also held various other squadron and group level positions.