Tom Ardern:
CLASS OF 1971
Nether Providence High SchoolClass of 1971
Wallingford, PA
Tom's Story
After earning a degree in Aerospace Engineering and a commission through AFROTC at the University of Virginia, along with a Masters in Systems Engineering, I spent 30 years on active duty as a fighter pilot in the USAF; 17 years of active flying, the rest in various staff jobs. Logged over 3500 hours in the T-38 (pilot training instructor), F-4, various models of the F-16, the B-1, and a few different single-engine civilian aircraft. Commanded an F-16 squadron at Moody AFB, GA; directed aircrew training for all fighter, bomber, rescue, and tactical transport personnel, and for pararescue forces and combat controllers in the US. Vice Commander of the "Wolfpack", 8th Fighter Wing in Korea, flying F-16s. Stationed in Korea, Germany, Turkey, and multiple locations in the US, with temporary duty in Spain, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. Served as Director of the USAF Wargaming Institute providing wargames to support professional education to Air Force officers and to senior officers and ...Expand for more
civilians of all services. Director of Operations of NATO air forces in Turkey; short tour as the senior air officer of the Stabilization Force in Bosnia, tasked with planning contingency air operations and rebuilding the commercial air traffic system in Bosnia, including chairing the Sarajevo Airport commission. Ended up as an inspector general team chief for Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA, where I retired in 2006 in the rank of Colonel. Have since worked at Joint Forces Command as a modeling and simulation analyst, and now Air Combat Command as a fighter basing analyst. I currently lead multi-discipline teams evaluating bases and executing plans to beddown new aircraft (F-35, QF-16) at air bases world-wide.
My wife, Susan, is an adjunct professor of Fine Arts for St Leo University, at their extension campus in Hampton Roads. We both run tennis leagues in the area. My daughter, Cassie, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018, majoring in government with a minor in Spanish.
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