USAFA Distinguished Graduates Announced
Gen. (Ret.) Bill Begert ’68 and Jerome “Jerry” Bruni ’70 Honored
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado (April 18, 2025) – The U.S. Air Force Academy and the Association of Graduates proudly announce Gen. William J. “Bill” Begert, Class of 1968, and Jerome “Jerry” Bruni, Class of 1970, as members of the newest Class of Distinguished Graduates to be honored this summer.
The Distinguished Graduate distinction honors and recognizes exceptional USAFA graduates who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation, the Academy and their communities throughout their lifetime. It is a unique recognition by the Air Force Academy and its Association of Graduates, highlighting graduates whose accomplishments inspire others and elevate the Academy’s reputation.
Distinguished Graduates serve as role models for all USAFA graduates and cadets. This distinction, akin to a lifetime achievement award, is among the highest honors a USAFA graduate can receive.
Gen. (Ret.) William Begert ’68 had a distinguished Air Force career spanning more than 36 years of active-duty service, earning numerous accolades and awards. He served as a military studies instructor and air officer commanding at the Air Force Academy, shaping the futures of many cadets. His leadership roles included commanding a flying squadron, two Air Force wings, the Air Mobility Warfare Center and U.S. Pacific Air Forces. His operational experience spans Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
During the Vietnam War, Gen. Begert flew more than 320 combat missions as a forward air controller at Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam, logging over 900 combat hours across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He also served as vice commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe during the air war over Serbia and as assistant vice chief of staff for Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Gen. Begert’s final command was as commander of Pacific Air Forces from 2001 to 2004.
After retiring from active duty, Gen. Begert transitioned to the civilian sector, where he served as vice president at aerospace company Pratt & Whitney. In this role, he ensured military engine readiness and contributed to the development of several military aviation programs, including the F-35 and F-22 fighter jets. Gen. Begert continues to serve as a key leader for the Falcon Foundation, and he was active in the Class of 1968 reunion gift campaign to support the Academy’s Cyber Competition Team.
Accolades earned during Gen. Begert’s military career include a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, a Distinguished Service Medal, a Defense Superior Service Medal, a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with a Silver Star, a Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, two Distinguished Flying Crosses with oak leaf cluster and an Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, to name a few.
Gen. Begert had a command pilot and parachutist rating and logged more than 6,900 flight hours, including in the C-130, C-141, KC-10, KC-135 and various training aircraft.
Jerome “Jerry” Bruni ’70 has made a profound and lasting impact on the Air Force Academy and its graduates through a lifetime of committed service as an officer, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
During his 14 years as an officer, he worked in the field of operations research in the Air Force Systems Command, Pacific Air Forces and the Defense Nuclear Agency. He also served as an adviser and assistant professor of economics at the Air Force Academy, where he earned the Outstanding Educator Award in economics.
As an entrepreneur, he established J.V. Bruni and Company, an investment management firm that grew its assets under management to over $1 billion, and as a philanthropist he has served as a steadfast supporter of USAFA and its graduates. Among the many examples of his support were the Fairchild Hall displays associated with the Southeast Asia Memorial. He also became an important contributor to the Academy Planetarium and STEM Center, the Hosmer Visitor Center, and Hotel Polaris. Moreover, he championed AOG membership and outreach, and he established the Class of 1970 Reunion Endowment for the Academy’s younger classes.
He and his wife, Pamela, founded the Bruni Foundation, through which they fund academic scholarships and vocational training in Colorado and his home state of Maine. Bruni serves as a founding director of the AFA Foundation and an overseer of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and he has chaired the Colorado Council for Economic Education. He also provides support to many other nonprofits, including veterans’ organizations, national education organizations, a hospital guest house to provide lodging for neonatal and cancer patients and their families, a hospital-based mental health program for youth in Maine, and a youth learning center in Colorado Springs.
Gen. Begert and Bruni will be honored during the Distinguished Graduate Dinner on July 25 as part of USAFA’s Long Blue Line Weekend. Registration for the event will open this spring.
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Contact:
Bryan Grossman, Senior Director of Strategic Communications and Publications
719.247.8743 (o) | 303.523.8410 (m)
About the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation:
The Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation serve USAFA graduates, support the Academy in its mission to develop leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force, and preserve the heritage of the institution.