“There were no shortcuts,” said Lt. Col. Kari Hill of the graduating Air Force ROTC class of 2022. When COVID-19 struck in 2020 and moved Detachment 040 to a virtual setting, Hill and her cadre had to establish a hybrid training model to complete the task of preparing the detachment to become officers.
Hill took measures to ensure that the pandemic would not stop the mission of the AFROTC, even in a virtual environment, so she ramped up the number of Commander’s Calls to discuss resiliency, provide transparency, and inspire the cadets throughout the many months of virtual learning. “This particular group that was hybrid for 15 months got to truly enact leadership. This group is going to be a phenomenal group of officers because of that,” said Hill.
Their hard work and perseverance were celebrated Saturday, June 4, 2022, at the commissioning ceremony in LMU’s Sculpture Garden. Hill welcomed nine new second lieutenants into the military with a crowd of nearly 200 people, including their families, friends, and members of the cadre cheering them on.
The ROTC is the largest commissioning source of military officers, and LMU is home to Detachment 040, the “Flying Lions,” which was established in 1948. Full-time students from two- and four-year colleges and universities across Los Angeles can apply to LMU’s detachment to prepare for active-duty service as an Air Force officer.
The nine commissioned officers represent seven universities in the Los Angeles region, including LMU, Pepperdine, CSU Channel Islands, California Baptist University, UC Irvine, CSU Northridge, and CSU Dominguez Hills. The graduates will join the ranks of the Air Force’s engineering, combat systems, intelligence, and physiology officers, or will head to pilot training.
During the commissioning two prestigious awards were presented. The Distinguished Graduate Award, the highest graduation honor which is given to the top 10 percent of AFROTC graduates from across the nation, was awarded to 2nd Lt. Raeanne Austria. The “Bent Prop” award, an award unique to Detachment 040 that is granted to the best wing man or woman each year as a show of their dependability, was given to 2nd Lt. Sydney Ray.
Members of the Class of 2022 receiving commissions June 4 were:
- Josiah M. Anderson, Pepperdine University
- Raeanne Austria, CSU Dominguez Hills
- Jake M. Brady, CSU Northridge
- Abigail S. Flowers, California Baptist University
- Simone Lili Hamada, Loyola Marymount University
- Alexander L. Jones, Loyola Marymount University
- Jeeyeon Ariel Kang, UC Irvine
- Sydney A. Ray, CSU Channel Islands
- Abigail Roe, CSU Fullerton