Air Force Academy graduates 5 Nevadans

Dick Benoit

Thursday, June 6, 2002 | 8:31 a.m.

Five Southern Nevadans are among 929 Air Force Academy cadets who are the first class since the Vietnam era to graduate during a war.

Southern Nevada members of the acadamy's class of 2002 are Scott Bailey, Silverado High School, class of 1996; Justin Collup, Moapa Valley High School class of 1998; Eric Graves, Green Valley High School class of 1998; Doug Medley, Clark High School, class of 1998; and Keith Young, Advanced Technologies Academy class of 1998.

Medley, the son of Jay and Yong Medley of Las Vegas, earned his degree in computer engineering. Young, the son of Keith and Waynette Young of Las Vegas, and Collup both graduated with degrees in management. Graves, whose parents Robert and Carol Graves live in Dallas, earned a bachelor's in computer science, and Bailey earned his degree in political science.

All of the new second lieutenants are heading for training in their chosen career fields, including 545 to pilot training, 53 to communications and information, and 21 to intelligence operations.

Twenty three graduates will serve as Air Force scientists, and 53 will become developmental engineers, crafting the weapons systems of tomorrow with the Air Force Research Laboratory and other military research and development organizations.

Another 59 graduates have earned admission and scholarships to graduate school at colleges in the United States and Great Britain, including MIT, Rice, Georgia Tech, the University of Washington, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Nine of those grads are bound for medical school, two to law school and one to dental school.

"With your talents, and with your discipline, you could be pursuing opportunities in many walks of life," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the graduates. "But to your credit, and to your benefit, you have chosen to defend our country."

In brief

Homoki, the son of Mary and Jay Homoki of Las Vegas, is a transportation specialist assigned to the 330th Movement Control Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C.