A Career in Flight with Jeremy Vanderhal '99
When Jeremy Vanderhal graduated from Milken in 1999, he already knew he would become a pilot in the US Air Force. In hindsight, Jeremy credits his career choice, in part, to Milken’s community values and the presence of tikkun olam in his high school experience, in addition to the Aviation Science elective formerly taught by Brian Seemann. All of these experiences helped pave the way for Jeremy towards service in the US Air Force, whose core values are Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.
Jeremy thrived at the US Air Force Academy while majoring in Aeronautical Engineering. Jeremy mastered skills such as freefall skydiving and thermodynamics before graduating as a Lieutenant in 2003 and subsequently completing pilot training in the top 10% of the program’s three phases. These accolades earned Jeremy a spot in the highly competitive training course to fly the F-16C Viper, which led to an assignment in his first combat-ready fighter squadron flying the most popular fighter jet in the world.
After completing overseas missions with the Viper, Jeremy moved up in rank to Captain and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to provide launch and recovery support for those missions, operating the MQ-1B Predator, a remotely piloted aircraft. He was also deployed to Italy to participate as a liaison officer coordinating airstrikes between multiple countries for the combat operations in Libya. Jeremy notes, “During all these deployments, I somehow also found the time to earn my Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama, Roll Tide!”
In 2012, he attended the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. This once in a lifetime opportunity allowed Jeremy to join the ranks of accomplished pilots like Chuck Yeager, flying multiple unique aircraft on a weekly basis, and honing skills as a precision aviator. Jeremy earned a Masters Degree in Flight Test Engineering and began working on testing and evaluating the next generation of aircraft for future USAF pilots. Jeremy was promoted to Major and invited to come back to Test Pilot School as an instructor pilot, teaching new students in the F-16C fighter and T-38C trainer aircraft.
Jeremy and his wife, Dr. Katie Hulbert, chose to set down roots in California, so he left active duty, joined the California Air National Guard and transitioned to flying the Mighty F-15C Eagle. Jeremy and his squadron’s mission is “to provide air superiority worldwide when called upon by the President, and to provide a 24/7 alert scramble capability to defend the West Coast of the US from air threats both foreign and domestic.” Most recently, Jeremy’s Air National Guard squadron made history by being the first USAF unit to fly F-15C’s to Ukraine, where they trained Ukranian forces in NATO standards of combat. Jeremy also works with the Federal Aviation Administration in Long Beach conducting aircraft certification flight tests to ensure civilian aircraft meet the agency’s rigorous safety standards.
After two decades away from Milken, Jeremy’s gratitude for his high school experience remains. He notes he is grateful to the school for giving him “a solid foundation of character, academic excellence, and desire to serve others.” Jeremy looks forward to serving as a resource for students and alumni interested in the US Air Force and the field of aeronautical engineering.
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