I was born in Taipei, Taiwan the son of a Navy Seaman and a Chinese debutante. As a young boy, I was fascinated by the space program and all things aviation, I constantly dreamed about flying. One day, I told my father I wanted to be a pilot...he told me I needed a college degree...that he didn't have the money to send me to college...so I would have to pay for it myself or get a scholarship...then he suggested I attend the Air Force Academy. So at age nine I made up my mind I was going to do everything in my power to earn an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.
I attended the 7th through 11th grades at a Department of Defense school in the Philippines (George Dewey Jr & Sr High School) where I learned a lot about leadership through the Boy Scouts of America, varsity sports, and extracurricular activities. I was an Eagle Scout, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and the Chapter Chief of the local Order of the Arrow and attended the 14th World Jamboree in Lillehammer, Norway. I remember my scoutmaster, a Navy Chief Petty Officer, telling me that "Leadership is not given, it's taken"-- he was always encouraging me to take the lead whenever the opportunity arose. In sports, I was Co-Captain of the Varsity Track Team and a Conference Champion in the Mile Walk. I was also the Student Body President as a junior and served as President first of the National Junior Honor Society and later of the National Honor Society. I travelled from the Philippines to Washington, DC to participate in the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans--I was the only American selected from the Far East to attend.
At the end of my junior year, my father was transferred back to the States and I graduated from Edward Reed High School in Sparks, NV. In my senior year I served as a representative to the student council and went from worst to first on the Varsity Rifle Team, earning both a Varsity Letter and a special award as the most improved shooter. I applied for and was offered appointments to West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy. I also was offered both Army and Navy ROTC scholarships (I didn't complete my ROTC application for the Air Force since I was accepted by the Air Force Academy before I could travel to a California Air Force Base to get a special medical physical).
I was a Distinguished Graduate from Basic Cadet Training at the Air Force Academy. I also was the last man to make the cut for the academy's Rifle Team. I would eventually letter as a junior & senior and serve as the co-captain of the team. I attended the NCAA National Championships as a senior and fired a personal best score. Shortly after graduating I was invited to attend the U.S. Olympic Trials but couldn't accept because I was in pilot training. During the summer before my junior year, I travelled to Fort Benning, GA with 100 other cadets to attend the Army's Airborne Course. After three weeks of intense training and five "jumps" I was awarded the Basic Parachute badge. While at the Academy I also learned how to fly and soloed in both a Cessna 172 and a sail plane. I also served on the Academy's yearbook staff and earned the "Outstanding Cadet in Cadet Wing Media" award as a senior. I remember the Academy Superintendant telling my senior class that "Success = Preparedness + Opportunity" and that we could only control half of the equation but that our preparedness could influence our opportunities--I never forgot that. After graduation, I attended undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base just outside of Del Rio, TX--one year later I realized my childhood dream when I was awarded Air Force Pilot Wings!
