Van was Valedictorian of his Sr class. After Graduation he went on to Auburn University with a scholarship in the Navy ROTC. He graduated in 1995 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and began flight school at the Naval Base in Pensacola, Florida. He then went to Meridian, Mississippi for training and then Kingsville, TX where he received his wings and was sent to Virginia Beach, VA to fly the F14 Tomcat. In 1999, he went on his first 6th month deployment on the Aircraft Carrier - Theodore Roosevelt and flew missions over Kosovo. His second 6 month deployment was in 2001 on the aircraft carrier - Enterprise. They were on their way back to Virginia Beach when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were hit. The Enterprise then turned around and he was one of the first to be a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has since moved back to Meridian, MS with his family and is now an instructor flying a T45 Goshawk. He has also flown a couple of times over Lexington buzzing his hometown. I for one am very proud of my brother! Van is currently a LT Commander in the Navy and has just recently been hired by Southwest Airlines as a pilot.