![]() Hunt says he’s grateful for the professional and personal challenges he’s overcome during his career because those experiences help him relate to cadets. “Though he’s older and has taken a different route to serve in the Air Force, he’s humble, understanding and comes up with ‘common ground experiences’ to relate to situations cadets deal with,” he says. “I’m a representative of the enlisted force shaping our new officers.”Ĭadet 1st Class Zeead Belhachami, a behavioral sciences major, says Hunt’s dedication to teaching and to cadets is obvious. “To be selected from more than 60 candidates to fill one of 10 enlisted academy instructor billets is a blessing,” he says. Hunt says the charge to teach cadets while maintaining the skills and knowledge expected of the NCO corps is not a responsibility he takes lightly. “I want to put in as much as I can, to know I had a part in one of the most unique programs in the Air Force,” Hunt says. “Learning about the talents and abilities of the enlisted force will make cadets better officers who understand the enlisted culture, how we operate and how we support a commander’s vision. Hunt says the enlisted faculty program is right for today’s Air Force and Space Force and he hopes more qualified senior NCOs apply to join the Academy’s academic roster. The move to hire enlisted instructors was part of a joint effort by Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and the Academy to promote the education and expertise of enlisted Airmen. Enlisted instructors had taught cadets for decades but were not accredited faculty instructors. In 2019, the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas announced the need for senior NCOs to fill academic instructor positions. I’m blessed to be here.” Opportunities in Waiting It took a while to get here, but he was preparing me for what he had in store. “I knew the Lord was telling me something when I kept having visions and dreams about the mountains,” he says. Hunt was aware of the Academy but couldn’t imagine the career opportunities it could provide a senior noncommissioned officer. “My family had a difficult time promoting because there were many racial issues in the armed forces in those times,” he says. Today, Hunt has earned the highest military rank of any veteran in his family. His uncle, Gus Hunt, 76, is a former enlisted soldier who fought in Vietnam. ![]() Hunt’s extended family includes several veterans. “Without her support, I wouldn’t be here.” “Aubrey’s not in the military but she’s earned every stripe,” Hunt says. He and his wife of 14 years, Aubrey Hunt, are parents to son Damon, 17, and daughters Maeleigh, 12, and Breichelle, 10. Hunt, 41, began his Air Force career as a security forces Airman in 2001. “These courses help cadets internalize the leadership qualities and interpersonal skills they’ll need to be leaders of character,” he says. Hunt arrived at the Academy this year to teach emotional intelligence, the leaders of character framework, and to coach conversations at the Center for Character and Leadership Development. My job is to help cadets formulate and shape their ideas to fit the needs of today’s Airmen and Guardians.” They’re smarter than I was at their age, a good thing as old ideas won’t work in our Air Force or Space Force. “Cadets are smart, eager to learn and ready to take the Air Force by storm. “They can’t take away knowledge, she always told me.”įor all his qualifications, Hunt doesn’t rest on his laurels because cadets, he says, possess formidable intellectual and academic skills. ![]() Hunt says his mother encouraged him to pursue higher education. The Buffalo, New York, native holds a master’s degree in business administration-human resource management a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice an associate degree in criminal justice an associate instructor of technology degree and training certifications in executive leadership, human resources, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Patrick Hunt, one of 10 senior noncommissioned officers in the Academy’s enlisted faculty program, possesses credentials to impress even the most polished academic. Air Force Academy if you need proof of the shrinking education gap between today’s commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications Story by Ray Bowden, all photos by Trevor Cokley ![]() Patrick Hunt, an enlisted faculty member at the U.S. Enlisted faculty member speaks out on teaching Air Force Academy cadets ![]()
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