Singaporean named top graduate at US Air Force Academy, first in almost 30 years and wins 10 awards

SINGAPORE: A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) officer has graduated top of his cohort at the prestigious United States Air Force Academy, making him the first Singaporean to achieve that in nearly 30 years.

The four-year programme at the public university and military service academy combines athletics, character and leadership development, and military training.

Lieutenant (LTA) Jonathan Loh was seen waving the Singapore flag at his graduation event last month, which was graced by US Vice President Kamala Harris.

At the event on May 30, LTA Loh received 10 awards from the academy.

The announcement that he was the valedictorian came as a pleasant surprise to the 25-year-old, who said he did not expect it and felt "overwhelmed".

LTA Loh, who completed his studies at Beatty Secondary School and St Andrew's Junior College, said he has "never been number one in anything" like that before.

"All I was obliged to do was to give my best. I'm not obliged to be the valedictorian. I'm not entitled to it," said LTA Loh during an interview with the media on Friday (Jun 7).

He recalled a quote that the principal of the academy used to say: "If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you know it didn't get there by itself."

"I love that quote because I know that in that moment, I got to be the one to raise the flag but I didn't get there by myself," said LTA Loh.

He added that he was "proud and thankful and honoured and humbled" to wave the Singapore flag.

Being associated with retired Colonel Low Chung Guan - the first Singaporean to top his class at the academy in 1995 - and getting to represent the country was also an honour for LTA Loh.

Still, the achievement does not mark the end but rather another milestone in a career he is "excited to live", added LTA Loh, who is a pilot trainee at the Air Force Training Command.

LTA Loh described the academy as a "highly competitive" institution, which sees thousands of applicants a year. LTA Loh's batch had 974 cadets, out of which 15 were international students.

At the academy, the first seven to eight hours of his day were filled with classes followed by another two hours that were set aside for military activities such as training.

Time management was a big challenge for him as there were many "competing priorities".

"Your work is never-ending. You can always find another book to read more in-depth into, you can always find another paper to study a little bit harder on," he added.

But it is important to draw the line and to remind himself that he has done enough and to move on to focus on his friendships, he noted.

MUM DIDN'T GET TO SEE HIM DO WELL

LTA Loh said that he had not always done well in school. He recalled how his mother would buy him many 10-year series books and sign him up for Chinese tuition when he was in primary school.

He knew she wanted him to do well academically and get a good job in the future but she died in 2011 when LTA Loh was in Primary 6.

Though the tide turned for him when his grades began improving in secondary school, she was not around to bear witness.

"I remember thinking to myself during those years if only my biological mum could just see me start to do well," LTA Loh said.

He shared how he wished she was around to celebrate the other significant milestones in his life, from the Scouts Association Chief Commissioner's Award he won when he was 16 to his performance during Basic Military Training.

"She didn't get to see how I was becoming a better leader and a better person."

After his mother's passing, LTA Loh's father remarried. And what his mother did not get to see, his stepmother did, as both his father and stepmother attended his graduation last week.

As for his biological mother, she has not faded away - both from his memory and his wallet, where he keeps a photo of her.

Behind the photo are three phrases: Be kind and caring; be hardworking; and honour God.

"And those are values I hold on to with my dear life," said LTA Loh.