Ricardo Aponte
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Date: 2022-01-07

Ricardo Aponte, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=10027160 / CC BY SA 3.0

#1950_births
#Living_people
#People_from_San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico
#Puerto_Rican_United_States_Air_Force_personnel
#United_States_Air_Force_generals
#United_States_Air_Force_reservists
#Recipients_of_the_Legion_of_Merit
#Puerto_Rican_military_officers
#Recipients_of_the_Defense_Superior_Service_Medal
#Recipients_of_the_Meritorious_Service_Medal_(United_States)
Brigadier General Ricardo "Rico" Aponte （born c. 1949） is a United States Air Force officer who was the first Hispanic director, J-7, of the United States Southern Command, located in Miami, Florida.
Aponte was raised and educated in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.
After receiving his primary and secondary education, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico and joined the campus ROTC program.
On December 29, 1972, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Aponte was assigned to Moody Air Force Base in the state of Georgia and completed his pilot training in August 1974.
He was then reassigned to the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico as pilot-weapons system officer and aircraft commander General Dynamics F-111D. He was promoted to first lieutenant on May 1, 1975.
Aponte flew the F-111 F and D models, the 02-A and T-38 aircraft.
F-111 – Type of aircraft flown by Aponte Aponte became a captain on May 1, 1977, and served as aircraft commander and instructor pilot of the F-111F aircraft of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing,
Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom from August 1978 to May 1981.
During this period, he earned his Master of Science degree in management science from Troy State University.
In May 1981, he returned to the United States and served as instructor pilot of the 0-2A aircraft, assigned to the 549th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.
Du...