Air Force ROTC Detachment 695 - Portland Pilots

Det 695 is excited to announce C/Capt Ripp as this week’s cadet of the week! Her hard work and dedication in and out of this program make her a role model to those around her, and she urges her fellow cadets to start being comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Almost ✈️ Friday

This week, our BC cadets took the reins. Commanding a flight and calling drill movements on their own, re-engaging stationary drill, basic marching, and column movements through structured repetition to build the confidence and reps needed to prepare for them to lead.

Meanwhile, our BCL cadets took on a Group Leadership Project (GLP), planning and executing a flight transit through campus. This builds the mission planning and teamwork skills that turn a proposal into action.
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Det 695 would like to announce that C/Lt Col Nguyentrieu earned this week’s Major Award! She is an inspiration to cadets around her and encourages them to find their why!

Cadets and community members gathered at the Praying Hands Memorial for a ceremony honoring America’s Prisoners of War and those still Missing in Action. This ceremony followed a 24-hour vigil of the memorial by cadets. The ceremony included a fly over by the 142nd Wing.

The ceremony featured guest speaker Dr. F. John Burpo, Dean and Professor of Engineering at UP’s Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering and a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, and concluded with the placing of two wreaths at the memorial.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, observed each year on the third Friday of September, honors those who sacrificed their freedom, and in many cases their lives, in service to this nation, and stands with the families who carry that uncertainty, some still without answers decades later.

The memorial itself carries that same weight of remembrance. Built in 1948 by UP’s Class of 1948 to honor 69 students lost in WWII, it was expanded and rededicated as the Broken Wall Memorial on Veterans Day 1990, with its walls inscribed with the names of those from the university, Columbia Prep, and Columbia University who gave their lives in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf.

At Detachment 695, days like this remind us that the leadership and service we train for come with a legacy. We remember. We honor. We never forget.

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This summer we had multiple cadets travel across the country for various Officer Development Training (ODT) opportunities. Officer Development Training (ODT) gives AFROTC cadets the chance to step outside the classroom and into the Air and Space Force firsthand — training alongside active duty units, gaining hands-on experience in career fields like nursing, cyber, and aircrew operations, and building the confidence and competency that come from real-world exposure. It’s one of the best ways to explore what your future as an officer could look like before you even commission.
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C/Nguyentrieu traveled to Travis Air Force Base in California for a nursing officer development training for a week. This included hospital tours, aeromedical evacuation familiarization, contingency response nursing exposure, and hands-on clinical-related training. The culminated in a training exercise simulating the response to a mass casualty incident with the 60th aeromedical evacuation squadron.
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C/Nguyentrieu traveled to Travis Air Force Base in California for a nursing officer development training for a week. This included hospital tours, aeromedical evacuation familiarization, contingency response nursing exposure, and hands-on clinical-related training. The culminated in a training exercise simulating the response to a mass casualty incident with the 60th aeromedical evacuation squadron.
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C/Moorhouse traveled to the Air Force Academy in Colorado for the Freefall officer development training for 12 days. He completed a rigorous ground school training course taught by cadet Jumpmasters of the United States Air Force Academy. He learned the form, procedures, and confidence necessary to complete five unassisted freefall skydives from 4,500 ft above ground level.
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C/Moorhouse traveled to the Air Force Academy in Colorado for the Freefall officer development training for 12 days. He completed a rigorous ground school training course taught by cadet Jumpmasters of the United States Air Force

And just like last week - It’s almost Friday!

This week’s LLAB pushed every class to sharpen the fundamentals. BC cadets locked in on basic flight drill, while BCL cadets focused on guidon and tougher transit routes and performing under pressure. Meanwhile, our POC were orchestrating training plans and refining how they lead. Additionally, cadets prepared for the changing of the guard procedures for the upcoming POW/MIA 24-hour vigil.
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