Cadet Wing changes commanders

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Cadet 1st Class Reuben Luoma-Overstreet assumed command of the Cadet Wing Jan. 7, succeeding Cadet 1st Class Moranda Hern in a ceremony here.

Luoma-Overstreet, who was born in San Diego but spent much of his youth in Arlington, Va., will represent the Cadet Wing in working with the commandant of cadets to meet the student body's needs.

"My long-term goal is to utilize the Air Force Academy's full potential to create cadets cognizant of their role as capable leaders, ambassadors, and officers for the United States," he said. "I'd like to create an Academy dedicated to continual improvement and characterized by a culture of commitment where cadets can develop their potential as leaders."

The Cadet Wing commander's role also includes executing the commandant's vision for the Cadet Wing, said Hern, the fall semester's Cadet Wing commander and a native of Clovis, Calif.

For example, the Cadet Wing commander organizes events like dormitory inspections, which require the simultaneous inspection of several thousand rooms. But the most important part of the Cadet Wing commander's job is to inspire cadets throughout the wing to take on leadership roles.

"Peer leadership is one of the most challenging things to learn, and we have the opportunity to learn and practice that here," Hern said.

Each academic year has three Cadet Wing commanders: one during the summer season, stretching from graduation day to the end of Basic Cadet Training, one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester. Cadet Wing commanders are selected based on their leadership skills and other criteria as determined by their peers and senior Air Force Academy leaders.