Brothers forge paths of Academy excellence

Cadet 4th Class Dylan Schuch and Cadet 2nd Class Chad Schuch Jr. pose with their father April 5, 2024. Chad’s Academy appointment inspired his younger brother’s own cadet journey and his family’s move to Colorado Springs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. – Cadet 4th Class Dylan Schuch considers his older brother his most effective college recruiter. Dylan, or ‘li’l Schuch’ as his brother’s friends affectionately call him, followed Cadet 2nd Class Chad Schuch, first to the U.S. Air Force Preparatory School and eventually to the Cadet Wing in 2023. Having one son as a cadet and another with Academy aspirations led their parents, Chad and Maria Schuch, to move the family to move to Colorado Springs.

With their family’s support, the brothers continue their navigation through a rigorous training and education as they hone their skills in the Academy’s diverse environment. From hands-on training to cutting-edge technology, the Academy helps prepare future leaders like the brothers for success.

“We enjoy seeing each other on a daily basis and hanging out with each other,” Chad said. “I can also show Dylan the process of what happens at the Academy past his freshman year—the progression of a cadet. With our dad, it’s nice having someone to talk to face-to-face when you encounter questions or problems about your personal life or the military.”

Cadet 2nd Class Chad Schuch Jr. and Cadet 4th Class Dylan Schuch look over the Terrazzo April 5, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith)

Moving the family close to their cadets

The brothers’ father, Chad Schuch, is a 24-year Air Force veteran and 306th Operations Support Squadron airfield manager at the Academy’s Davis Airfield. His wife Maria is a registered nurse at nearby Fort Carson. In 2021, the family moved from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to be close to both sons before Dylan began Prep School.

With their family in the area, the brothers have a place to go on weekends, and they also extend the privilege to friends in the Cadet Wing. Having their father close enough for one-on-one talks has been invaluable for both sons in another critical way, especially now that both cadets are weighing career decisions.

The brothers are both Department of Management majors now weighing the options of two vastly different career fields. Chad was considering a career as an acquisitions officer before deciding on remotely piloted aircraft instead. Dylan’s decision is between acquisitions and special forces. Having their father close helps both cadets as they make their career decisions.

“Our dad has helped us get a holistic view of the Air Force and what it is like as you become an officer,” Chad said. “It’s so valuable to go through the different scenarios and get that good advice. When we’re talking in person, we can get the emotional side of it and know it’s not coming from a textbook. He gives us the genuine answers that we need.”

Cadet 2nd Class Chad Schuch Jr. and Cadet 4th Class Dylan Schuch talk to their father, Chad Schuch Sr. outside Polaris Hall April 5, 2024. Chad’s Academy appointment inspired his younger brother’s own cadet journey and his family’s move to Colorado Springs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

From enlisted servicemember to Preppie to cadet

Upon graduating high school, Chad enlisted in the Air Force and was a C-17 Globemaster III crew chief at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Two years later, Chad applied to the Academy through the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development Program and was accepted into the Prep School in 2019. He began his freshman year in 2021.

Initially, one family member was not excited to hear the family was making the move from Japan to Colorado. Dylan was about to begin his senior year of high school when the family moved. Even his parents would have preferred moving after he graduated, but decided as a family it would be best to be settled in Colorado Springs prior to Dylan’s senior year.

“I was looking forward to playing that last season with my teammates, and I was very comfortable in Japan,” Dylan said. “It was my first time having to tackle a challenge as an adult would. But, in the long run, I think it was a positive experience. Once I got close to graduation, I realized trying to figure out what I was going to do would have been much more challenging if we hadn’t moved here.”

Chad Schuch and Maria Schuch pose with their sons, Cadet 4th Class Chad Schuch Jr. and U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School Cadet Candidate Dylan Schuch at a Falcons football game in 2022. Chad is now in his junior year at the Academy, and Dylan is finishing his first year as a cadet. (Courtesy photo provided by Chad Schuch)

Following an older brother’s example

Having grown up in a military family, including older sister Emma in the U.S. Navy, Dylan thought his future would go in that direction. But his brother’s Academy appointment gave him a new sense of direction. He fondly remembers the day he put on the Air Force uniform once worn by his father and now by his older brother for the first time in Prep School.

“It was definitely a cool experience, wearing the same uniform that my dad and brother wore,” Dylan said. “I felt I now had a special connection with them.”

Cadet 2nd Class Chad Schuch Jr., left, and Cadet 4th Class Dylan Schuch pose with their father outside Polaris Hall April 5, 2024. Chad’s Academy appointment led to his younger brother’s own cadet journey and his family’s move to Colorado Springs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

One more potential Cadet Schuch

Now that he’s drawn his younger brother to the Academy and his family to the Colorado Springs area, Chad might have one more sibling to lead to the Cadet Wing. The brothers’ 12-year-old sister Molly is already considering an Academy education. Her father reminded her of the examples of her older brothers and the opportunities they now have awaiting them after they complete their Academy education.

“I talked to her just like I did with the boys,” Schuch said. “I tell her she just needs to go to Basic Cadet Training with an open mind. Your brothers did it twice, including the Prep School. If you have any questions, you can always talk to them.”