Oklahoma Air National Guardsman and Civil Air Patrol Officer appointed to Air Force Academy

Oklahoma Air National Guard Senior Airman Kurt Levan poses for an official photo. (Photo: Unknown Photographer)

by Capt. Kathy Sexton, CAP, Oklahoma Wing

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma Air National Guard Senior Airman Kurt LeVan has accepted an appointment with the United States Air Force Academy.

LeVan enlisted in the Oklahoma Air National Guard when he was a senior in high school. After Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, and Technical school at Keesler Air Force Base, LeVan returned to Tulsa to his assignment as an Aviation Resource Manager for the 125th Fighter Squadron where he works with pilots of the F-16.

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Major Kurt LeVan during flight training with Captain David McBlair, CAP (Photo: Unknown Photographer)

In his three years with the 125th, LeVan has been selected for Base Honor Guard and as a Physical Training Leader for the Operations Group.

“My plan was to attend OTS (Officer Training School) after college. I wanted to enlist first because I wanted the experience of both an enlisted airman and an officer,” LeVan said.

When his Group Commander of the Operations Group suggested he apply to the Air Force Academy, he hesitated at first.  

“I wasn’t sure if the Academy was the route I wanted to take,” he said. “I decided to visit the campus last Fall and changed my mind. I had so many people at my Squadron encouraging me. I also had instructors at Rogers State University who wrote some of my letters of recommendation.”

(L-R) Kurt Levan and Col. Bruce Hamilton, USAF Retired after Hamilton presented Levan with his Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award. (Photo: Unknown Photographer)

Lt. Colonel David Bath, USAF retired, Assistant Professor of Military History at Rogers State University said, “Kurt LeVan is an extremely intelligent, engaging and conscientious student. He will excel at the Academy and be a fine officer.”

LeVan was an active student while attending Rogers State University. He served as Vice President of the Student Veterans Association, House Floor Leader for the Student Government Association and Deputy Secretary of State for the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature.

LeVan’s direct supervisor at the 125th is SMSgt Annie Hawkins.

“Senior Airman Kurt LeVan is definitely the most unique airman I’ve ever supervised. And I mean that in a good way,” Hawkins said. “His willingness to volunteer and go above and beyond the call of duty has given him a reputation not only in the Operations Group but around the base. Our leadership and I look to him as our go-to guy when we need something or when there is an opportunity to seize. His eagerness and ambition will take him very far, not just in the military but in his life. He has been a pleasure to work with and he will be greatly missed.”

LeVan is currently an officer of Civil Air Patrol's Broken Arrow Composite Squadron. He started his Civil Air Patrol career in May, 2014. He has served in many rolls with his squadron including Cadet Commander. LeVan is a rated ground team level one member and rated aircrew. He has served on Cadet Advisory Councils for both the Oklahoma Wing and Southwest Region. He was Cadet of the Year for the Oklahoma Wing in 2017 and received his Spaatz Achievement (the highest level a cadet can earn) in 2018.

In 2018, LeVan was named to Rogers County 40 under 40 list. An honor for persons under 40 years of age living in Rogers County who show extreme potential.

LeVan is a licensed pilot and enjoys flying in his spare time.

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Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of more than 80 lives annually. CAP’s 66,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.