From ‘E’ to ‘O’: Three Crows take off for OTS

  • Published
  • By Capt. Benjamin Aronson
  • 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida --  EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida – Three members from the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing were selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School, bringing the number of Crows chosen to attend OTS up to five in the past two years alone.

Tech. Sgt. Coralys Acosta, 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron security assistant, Tech. Sgt. Jacob Mackey, 39th EWS cyber operations section chief, and Staff Sgt. Juan Rojas, 453d EWS signals intelligence analyst, were among 434 selectees chosen, out of 531 applicants for OTS.

“Selection to attend OTS is a tremendous opportunity to continue to serve in a new capacity,” said Chief Master Sgt. Will Cupp, 350th SWW command chief. “These NCOs stand as a testament to the reward of setting a goal and putting in the work to achieve it.”

In addition to being selected, this was each member’s first attempt at applying.

Acosta, who joined the Air Force after she graduated from college and found herself working in a position that was not rewarding both financially and emotionally, was not expecting to be accepted.

“I don’t have any words for it; it’s just an honor honestly,” said Acosta. “I went into it thinking I would not have been selected...it just confirms that others see that potential in me I know that I have.”

Acosta was selected to commission as a 38F, a Force Support Officer, after only serving seven years.

Likewise, Mackey was just as surprised when he learned he was chosen for OTS and had even begun planning on his second application package.

“I gave myself maybe a 15% chance of making it,” said Mackey. “I was already planning for the next time I was going to apply.”

Mackey’s first call was to his wife, who he credits as his source of reassurance during his application process. He plans to commission as a Cyber Officer, continuing his career in cyber.

Rounding out the selectees is Rojas, who upon seeing his name on the list released by Air Force Personnel Center couldn’t believe it.

“I opened the list and of course I've been waiting a couple months to get the results...” said Rojas. “I’m scrolling down trying to find R for ‘Rojas’ and I see my name and I automatically close out the list. I'm in disbelief at this moment, but I reopened the list and I scroll down and see my name again, and I just kind of broke down into tears and I called my parents.”

Rojas was selected to commission as an Intelligence Officer upon completion of OTS.

While all three members are still awaiting their training dates and other information for their follow-on assignment, they agree that they are honored and humbled to be chosen, and ready to make a difference in the Air Force as officers.

“My whole idea is to try to improve every process, system and person, even by just by 1%,” said Rojas. “If we could do that as a whole Air Force, the Air Force will be much better.”