Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Mechenbier, Class of 1964, is a consultant to defense companies, serving on several private and public boards. He continues his public service by working with military veterans at Marion Correctional Institute in Ohio. He flew an F-4C in Vietnam, where he was shot down on his 113th combat mission and a prisoner of war for nearly six years. Through more than 40 years of aviation service, he flew the F-4C/D, the F-100, A-7 and C-141C. For more than 30 years he was the television host for several major airshows throughout the country, including the United States Air and Trade Show held in Dayton, Ohio and the Miramar Air Show in San Diego, Calif. He is a distinguished graduate and a command pilot with more than 3,600 flying hours.

Master Sgt. (Ret.) Dustin Goodwin is a supervisory training instructor at the 343rd Training Squadron, Security Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. He oversees the opposing forces section and serves as an instructor for the Combat Leaders Course. He is responsible for utilizing current enemy tactics to enhance training for the Basic Defenders Course, Basic Officer Course, and Advanced Combat Leaders Course, delivering training to 5,000 Airmen, 125 company-grade officers, and eight international students across nine major commands and 14 partner nations within the Security Forces enterprise. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2001 before medically retiring as a master sergeant in 2014.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Marc Sasseville was the 12th National Guard Bureau vice chief, where he assisted the chief of the NGB in performing duties as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1985. He has held squadron, group, wing and numbered air force commands. He also served as the senior defense official and defense attaché to Turkey. Prior to becoming VCNGB, he served as the commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and First Air Force, Air and Space Forces Northern, headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

Col. Sarah Brehm is the commander of Cadet Group 1 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. She guides military, leadership, character development, and expeditionary skills training for a 1,000-member cadet group in addition to providing facilities and logistical support. Prior to her current position, she was a senior research analyst at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), Global Shaping Division, Pentagon, Washington D.C. She served as the commander of the 34th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) located at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Employing U-28A aircraft, she was responsible for global special operations taskings as the Air Force component member of the United States Special Operations Command. She is a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and has spent most of her career in special operations aviation assignments. She is a command pilot with over 4,000 hours of flight experience in the DA-20, T-6A, T-1A, C-21A, and U-28A.

Col. John Blocher is the commander of the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1999, where he later became a senior pilot in the A/OA-10 “Warthog” and the AT-38. He has over 1,500 flying hours, with 150 of those as combat hours in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. His accomplishments earned him the Bronze Star for heroism and the Air Force Commendation Medal with Valor. Prior to his assignment at Moody AFB, he was the commander of the 1st Air Support Operations Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. He is married to Ms. Jamie Hatch. They have three sons: Cole, Cooper, and Jack, who is currently a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Captain (Ret.) Charlie Plumb is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a jet fighter pilot who flew 74 successful combat missions in Vietnam. On his 75th mission, just five days before the end of his tour, he was shot down, captured, and spent 2,103 days as a prisoner of war in communist prison camps, enduring torture. Captain Plumb has shared his story of survival in over 5,000 presentations to audiences in every state and 24 foreign countries. He and his wife, Susan, have four children and four grandchildren.

Col. Justin “Astro” Elliott is the division chief for NORAD and USNORTHCOM’s Integrated Operations Division at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. In this role, he supervises 200 operators from nine U.S. and Canadian military branches, overseeing the execution of current and future NORAD and USNORTHCOM operations across all domains. He has previously served in F-15E and F-35 squadrons as an instructor pilot and evaluator, as a Weapons Instructor and Operational Test Pilot in the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, and as an Experimental Test Pilot in the 40th Flight Test Squadron, 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. Col. Elliott commanded the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., where he led the test and evaluation of the F-35, F-22, F-15EX, F-15E, F-16, and A-10. More recently, he served as commander of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, leading the team through 150 air shows across 70 U.S. and international cities while flying his F-16 mere inches apart from others at speeds exceeding 600 mph.

Maj. Andrea “Mystique” Moffett is the chief of standardization and evaluation at the 94th Flying Training Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. As an evaluator pilot in the TG-16A and TG-17A, she oversees the evaluation of 250 instructor pilots, ensuring the accuracy and compliance of multiple flight publications that support 15,000 annual sorties, 10 course syllabi, and 54 qualifications and certifications. Maj. Moffett commissioned through the U.S. Air Force Academy in June 2016. Following commissioning, she served as a military training officer at the Academy’s Preparatory School before completing undergraduate pilot training, flying the T-6A and TH-1H. She subsequently flew the UH-1N “Huey” at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. She has served as aircraft commander and instructor, with additional roles as standards and evaluation liaison officer, group executive officer, and chief of training. Maj. Moffett has accumulated over 700 flight hours in the UH-1N, many in support of Operation GLOBAL CITADEL.

Lt. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers was selected by NASA to join the 2021 astronaut candidate class and reported for duty in January 2022. A Colorado native, she graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and later earned a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University in Houston. As an instructor in both the T-38A and F-22 Raptor, Lt. Col. Ayers has flown missions across the nation and internationally. On her first spaceflight, she served as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, spending 146 days as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72 and 73, and completed one spacewalk totaling 5 hours and 44 minutes.

General Austin Scott Miller (Ret.) retired in 2021, after more than 38 years in the United States Army. He supported, led, and shaped the most challenging national security issues at the highest levels of the United States government, culminating with his final assignment as the Commander all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

General Retired Miller commanded at all grades, most notably as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center at Fort Benning, The Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, where he directed U.S. operations in complex geopolitical regions including the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Middle East, and South Asia. He also commanded Assault Forces in Mogadishu, Somalia during “Blackhawk Down”.

His numerous decorations and honors include two awards of the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge, two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and an unprecedented 20 Overseas Service Bars denoting more than 10 full years in combat zones. In 2023 he was selected as a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Military Academy in 2023, and as the recipient of the Richard M. Helms award presented by the CIA Memorial Foundation. Additionally in 2025 he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame.

In retirement, Miller has pursued an understanding of business serving in both leadership roles and different board positions to include AIM-13, Orbis LLC, and through Miller Advisory Group he consults overseas, speaks on multiple relevant and current world topics and hosts leadership retreats on demand.

He serves as a senior fellow for the Combatting Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy where he spends time with both faculty and cadets serving as a mentor to future generations of leaders. He also serves as an Ambassador for the non-profit Shields and Stripes, an organization focused on Veterans and First Responders.