USAFA cadet honored as Cadet of the Year

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Richard A. Williams Jr.
  • Air Force Public Affairs Agency
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Dustin Hayhurst was honored as the 2011 U.S. Air Force Cadet of the Year on May 10 during a ceremony at the Pentagon here.

During the ceremony, hosted by Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Hayhurst received recognition for demonstrated excellence in military skill, academics and athletics in an Air Force commissioning program.

"In Dustin, we recognize a cadet who truly exemplifies one of the Air Force's core values: Excellence in all we do," the secretary said. "He has consistently excelled as a scholar, as a warrior and as an athlete as well."

The Air Squadron, a private British organization, established the award in 2000 to pay tribute to the U.S. military for its support of the United Kingdom over the years.

The group presented the Millennium Sword of Friendship to the Air Force that same year as a symbol of the enduring British-American partnership. Since then, the name of each Cadet of the Year is engraved on the sword, which remains on display in the Pentagon.

According to the award citation, Hayhurst was ranked number one of 1,110 cadets in overall academic performance. He is a member of both the engineering and national aerospace honor societies and has been selected for a summer research program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to receive this award, and not just the award but the opportunities I have been given at the Air Force Academy," Hayhurst said.

Hayhurst, who graduates from the Air Force Academy this year, said he could not have accomplished this achievement without support from the staff at the academy, his classmates and most of all his family.

"This is as much their award as it is mine," he added.

Hayhurst is a systems engineering team member on USAFA's FalconSAT program that is tasked with designing, building, testing, and launching unique satellite systems and has also been an active member of the Air Force Academy Triathlon team during his time at the Academy.