Maj. Joseph Bledsoe '11
For Maj. Joseph “Paveway” Bledsoe ’11, leadership revolves around three main priorities: faith, family and being a fighter pilot. These guiding principles have taken him from his smalltown roots in rural Pennsylvania to the U.S. Air Force Academy and to flying the F-15E Strike Eagle. Although his family had no military background, he felt inspired to serve when his cousin graduated from the Academy in 2005. From middle school on, he was determined to pursue an appointment. At USAFA, he committed himself to seizing every opportunity. After completing Basic Cadet Training, his classmates elected him class president. Bledsoe says his Academy experience taught him how to lead both vertically as a senior officer and horizontally on a peer-to-peer level.
“The Academy really forced me, in quite a few of my leadership positions, to rely on peer leadership,” he says. “That’s where it starts and ultimately finishes.” Bledsoe studied biology, planning to attend medical school and become a surgeon. However, a firstie-year trip overseas with a C-130 unit shifted his focus. “I was hyperfocused on wanting to be a doctor,” he says. “The experience opened the door, and then firstie year I had the opportunity to fly at the airfield. I realized I can always get into medicine, but I can’t always get into this flying gig.” He dropped his medical school applications and submitted his name for pilot training. For Bledsoe, the shift wasn’t farfetched.
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