PUBLISHER’S NOTE: University of Florida Air Force Detachment 150 Commissioning Ceremony Highlights 13 Outstanding Young Americans

Merritt Island Native Samantha Palermo Presented with Distinguished Graduate Award

Newly-minted second lieutenants took an Oath to defend, with their lives when necessary, the Constitution of the United States of America.

While cable news talking heads and newspaper hacks dote over and spotlight the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at U.S. colleges, I recently had the honor and pleasure to be on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, home to U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment 150, to witness the Commissioning Ceremony of 13 outstanding young Americans, including I’m proud to say, my daughter Samantha, as they took this Oath of Office to become U.S. Air Force officers:

“Having been appointed a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, So Help Me God.”

This Oath of Office was administered to each cadet by a commissioned officer, active or retired, and in Samantha’s case, it was longtime family friend and retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Richard Cheng.

Each newly-minted second lieutenant then presented a silver dollar to the first enlisted airman who salutes them. The coin symbolically acknowledges the receipt of respect due the new rank and position.

Commissioning Senior Cadets taking the Oath to defend, with their lives when necessary, the Constitution of the United States of America, included 2nd Lt. Matthew Bogard, 2nd Lt. James Caskey, 2nd Lt. Ross Davis, 2nd Lt. Kyle Giovanniello, 2nd Lt. Jackson Goodspeed, 2nd Lt. Elesse Iannarelli, 2nd Lt. Edison Kastrioti, 2nd Lt. Meghan Kilpatrick, 2nd Lt. Samantha Palermo, 2nd Lt. Thomas Schiller, 2nd Lt. Dalton Smith, 2nd Lt. Sofia Tesiero and 2nd Lt. Wesley Teza.

The Detachment 150 Cadre included Lt. Col. Michael Caretti, Commander; Capt. Thomas Rich, Operations Flight Commander; Maj. Joseph Sanfilippo, Recruiting Officer; Capt. Dwight Patterson, Education Officer; TSgt. Jason Stackens, Training Instructor and TSgt. Alia Washington, NCOIC Administrator.

It was gratifying to listen to each new second lieutenant address the audience, which included their peers, Cadre, family and friends. Each and every one of these highly trained and driven young men and women, and their families, showed that patriotism was alive and well in the United States of America – “Duty, Honor, Country” was the predominant theme.

After the main Commissioning Ceremony, it was announced to my surprise that one new officer had been bestowed the Distinguished Graduate Award, a distinct honor that I am told only goes to only about 10 percent of ROTC Cadets across the entire country.

I have rarely felt more proud when University of Florida Detachment 150 Cadre Commander Lt. Col. Michael Caretti announced that 2nd Lt. Samantha Palermo had been conferred this prestigious award, which recognizes exceptional graduates who have set themselves apart by “demonstrating outstanding ability, initiative and leadership qualities desired in Air Force Officers.”

2nd Lt. Palermo, 21, is a Merritt Island native and attended Merritt Island Christian School, Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary, Edgewood Jr./Sr. High, is a 2020 graduate of Merritt Island High School and 2024 graduate of the University of Florida. The newly-commissioned second lieutenant has been selected for flight training as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

At the conclusion of this inspiring program, I couldn’t help but to recall what President Ronald Reagan said during his notable first inaugural address in 1981: “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are not heroes, they just don’t know where to look.”

If I could speak to President Reagan today, I would tell him that these 13 young men and women of the University of Florida Air Force Detachment 150 is a perfect place to find those heroes, and, as Reagan said, “lead our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with God’s help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A resident of Brevard County, Florida, for the past 38 years, Tom Palermo is the President & Publisher of Space Coast Daily and has more than 40 years of experience in the media business as a publisher, editor and industry consultant.  During his career in both corporate and small business entrepreneurial environments, he has founded dozens of local, state, regional, and national print and digital publications.

Palermo has written thousands of articles and columns for daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, trade publications and websites – and hosted a weekly radio talk show for seven years. In 2005, Palermo founded Space Coast Daily parent company Maverick Multimedia, Inc., which specializes in media-specific IT development, niche multimedia publishing, and devising comprehensive strategic business and marketing plans.

Palermo is also co-founder of Brevard Production Inc., an organization that owns, sponsors and produces some of the most significant and compelling annual special events in the region, including the Central Florida Humanitarian Awards, the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, the Space Coast State Fair, Dancing for the Space Coast, Cocoa Beach Spring Training, the Port Canaveral Seafood & Music Festival, the Space Coast Oktoberfest, Space Coast Home Shows, Space Coast Health Fair and many more.

The founder and president of the Space Coast Publishers Guild, Palermo works diligently on behalf of his industry in regard to innovation and in upholding the highest standards of integrity. His proudest accomplishment in life are the successes of his four children – Alicia, Sara, Anthony and Samantha.

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