Col. Susan Desjardins, currently commander of the 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C., will replace Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida as the commandant of cadets at the US Air Force Academy. Weida, who has been at the academy only a year and was cleared, just a month ago, of a charge that he had attempted to proselytize cadets, has been reassigned as the director of capability integration and transformation at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Air Force leaders have recommended Weida for promotion to major general. Desjardins, who is being nominated for promotion to brigadier general, graduated from the academy in 1980—the first class to include women.
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.