A Spearfish man has received one of Civil Air Patrol’s highest honors for his lifelong commitment to aviation and aerospace education.
Lieutenant Colonel Buck DeWeese was awarded the Frank G. Brewer Memorial Lifetime Aerospace Education Award, recognizing his years of service teaching and mentoring future aviators through the Civil Air Patrol.
The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization that performs missions for the U.S. Air Force, including search-and-rescue operations, and is the world’s largest operator of single-engine aircraft.
Officials say DeWeese’s leadership and dedication have helped expand aerospace education programs across South Dakota and inspired countless young people through the Civil Air Patrol’s cadet program.
DeWeese says his dream of becoming a pilot began in the third grade. After participating in ROTC at South Dakota State University, he served 12 years in the Air Force before spending 32 years as a pilot for Delta Airlines.
During his airline career, DeWeese and a co-pilot successfully managed an in-flight emergency caused by a technical malfunction shortly after takeoff. The crew safely landed the aircraft and later received a National Aviation Award for their actions.
Since retiring from Delta, DeWeese has continued flying search-and-rescue missions and teaching young cadets through the Civil Air Patrol.
DeWeese says receiving the award was unexpected and calls the honor “incredible.” He is scheduled to formally receive the award at a Civil Air Patrol conference in August.
