Class Of 1989

SCOTT "JUNK" BONZ earns pilot hono for Operation Iraqi Freedom efforts.

"You're probably born a pilot," says Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bonz. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about how awesome my responsibilities are and how few people get to do this—and how lucky I am to be one of them." The Navy has recognized the Strafford, Vermont, resident's commitment—and skill—by naming him the Commander Naval Air Forces 2003 Pacific Pilot of the Year. After serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bonz left Iraq in May 2004 and now flies for an "adversary squadron" in the Navy's premier training space, located in Falon, Nevada. Flying camouflaged planes, Bonz helps train new pilots to fly in the presence of unfamiliar "enemy" planes. "I see myself involved in aviation for life," he says. "I'll stay in the Navy as long as they'll have me and as long as it's fun. Aviation—it's a thrill like no other."