ThunderHawgs Earn Best Medium Detachment Honors in Southwest Region

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ThunderHawgs Excel in LEAD Training at Maxwell Air Force Base

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Col. Koester, the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Southwest Region commander, announced that the University of Arkansas AFROTC Detachment 030 — the ThunderHawgs — won the Southwest Region High Flight Award as the best medium-sized detachment in the Southwest Region. Detachment 030 has earned this distinction three times in the past five years.

The region is comprised of 36 detachments, of which 15 are medium-sized. The High Flight Award is given to the small, medium and large-sized detachments that excel in training, education, recruiting and overall performance in their category.

The ThunderHawgs are the 74 cadets in the AFROTC program at the U of A. Over the course of the four-year program, the cadets work toward commissioning as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. This program is designed to evaluate cadet leadership potential and train them to be the next generation of officers entering the service.

Detachment 030 continues to make academic achievement a top priority which has enabled 60 percent of the cadets to be on full tuition scholarships. The detachment's average cadet GPA is 3.37, ranking No. 10 out of 145 nationally.

In February 2017, Detachment 030 completed its best Air Force inspection in more than 9 years and received a "Highly Effective" rating for its education program.

Throughout the summer, Detachment 030 sent 14 cadets to the very competitive 17-day Leadership Evaluation and Development (LEAD) program, formerly known as Field Training, which occurs in Alabama and Mississippi. A total of 2,465 cadets attended from all over the nation. Three Detachment 030 cadets ranked in the top 10 percent, earning the Distinguished Graduate distinction and two cadets won Superior Performer honors as they ranked in the top 20 percent of participants.

During the 2016-17 academic year, Detachment 030 cadets won two Society of American Engineers awards and a university Senior of Significance award. Also, one newly commissioned lieutenant from Detachment 030 is one of only four finalists for the Air Force National Cadet Research award.

The last time Detachment 030 garnered the High Flight Award was back-to-back wins in 2013 and 2014 as a small detachment. The detachment grew to a medium-sized detachment in 2015. The ThunderHawgs will now compete for the highly coveted national award, the Right of Line, for the best medium detachment in the nation.

"Our vision is to commission the next generation of selfless, dedicated and innovative second lieutenants leading the men and women of the world's greatest Air Force," said Lt. Col. Marc E. Wolfe. "Since my arrival in June 2016, I've been blown away by the outstanding caliber of both staff and cadets who continually strive for excellence as they accomplish the mission and push beyond all expectations."

Any student interested in joining the ThunderHawgs is invited to visit the Recruiting Flight Commander, Capt. Clayton Sharum, 319 Memorial Hall, or contact him at 479-575-3651 or at cesharum@uark.edu.