Lieutenant named Cadet of the Year

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Although she knew she was in the running for 2015 Air Force Cadet of the Year, 2nd Lt. Kailey Filter said her selection was still a shock to her.

The newly arrived lieutenant with the 60th Inpatient Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California's David Grant USAF Medical Center, was chosen from a pool of more than 16,000 cadets composed of the Reserve Officer Training Corps, Air Force Academy graduates and Officer Training School selectees.

Filter said her ROTC detachment commander, Lt. Col. Richard Sanders, helped keep the announcement a surprise, asking Filter to call him concerning Filter's brother, who also is in ROTC at UNC Charlotte.

"When I was speaking with him, he told me it had nothing to do with my brother and that I had been awarded Cadet of the Year," Filter said. "At first, I thought he was joking and then when he reinforced that he was serious, I was speechless. I never expected it to happen."

The UNC Charlotte graduate said she's "constantly" asked herself what distinguished her from the other cadets.

"I go over it in my mind and really don't have an answer," she said. "I was very involved in not only ROTC but on my campus and in the community of Charlotte. I was afforded many diverse opportunities and participated in as much as I could."

Her squadron commander, Lt. Col. Christine Kress, praised Filter for what she brings to the Air Force and to Travis.

"We are really proud of Lieutenant Filter," Kress said. "Her cadet accomplishments are outstanding. She has prepared herself through ROTC and nursing school to excel as a leader and a new nurse resident. We are excited to have her here at DGMC and look forward to seeing her grow as a nurse corps officer."

Filter's journey to join the the service began during her high school years when her best friend's father suggested joining the Air Force, "that it was a great place to be."

After a visit to the Air Force Academy during her junior year in high school, Filter was convinced.

"After starting ROTC my freshman year I knew it was the right place for me to be," she said. "What better way to be a nurse? I would get to help the people who put their lives on the line for everyone."

Although a newcomer to Travis, Filter said her first base "is a great place to be."

"Travis is a big base with a lot of people and even more going on," she said. "It is a great place to be. I don't really know what I expected, I just came in with an open mind since it was all so new to me, so I would say it was everything I expected but surprising at the same time."

"I think it has made me raise my own expectations of what I can do," Filter said. "It makes me want to work that much harder and show what I am capable of."

A ceremony is scheduled Dec. 16 in Washington, D.C., for Filter to receive the honor.