Airman heads to Air Force Academy in June Published May 6, 2010 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affiars KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Airman 1st Class Shuai Yuan is closer to his longtime goal of becoming an Air Force pilot. He has been accepted to attend the Air Force Academy. The 81st Dental Squadron dental technician learned of his selection in mid-April when his squadron commander, Col. (Dr.) John Embry, called the squadron together and announced the achievement. Airman Yuan also received a phone call from the academy April 21 to notify him of selection and to confirm he was accepting the appointment. Airman Yuan, who has been a member of the Air Force since December 2007, mentioned his interest in flying to Master Sgt. James Bunce, dental support flight noncommissioned officer-in-charge, who suggested he apply to the academy. Airman Yuan also met with Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Dan Wyman, 81st Medical Group commander and an Academy graduate, to ask what to expect as an academy cadet. The Los Angeles native started his quest for a direct appointment in August with a visit to the base education office where he picked up the basic application form. This was followed by a package he received from the academy to complete. Then he got letters of recommendation from commanders and leaders he worked with at the clinic. "I had to gather a lot of data," he said. "I also had to complete a special physical training test and a take a physical exam. Maj. (Dr.) Paul Hilfer, also an academy grad, has been a tremendous help throughout this process. He gave me the encouragement to go through with it and constantly checked the status of the application." Airman Yuan has completed trigonometry and psychology classes at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's Jeff Davis campus and at Keesler. He received credit for college algebra through the College Level Examination Program. He plans to major in biology, his favorite subject in high school. With a report-no-later-than date of June 24, Airman Yuan will graduate and be commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force in 2014. He has mixed emotions about entering the Academy. "This is an unknown area. I'm excited but nervous," he said, adding that April was a good month for him. "I also learned I had been selected for promotion to senior airman below-the-zone."