Ball earns Air Force honor

Lt. Bailey Ball (left) and Lt. Harrison Whiting IV were honored as Distinguished Graduates. PHOTO BY JOSH WEAST.
LAHAINA – Lt. Bailey Ball of Lahaina was recently named Distinguished Graduate of Class 12-13 with the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.
He received his award for flying T-1 jet aircraft.
Lt. Harrison Whiting IV of Niceville, Florida, was named Distinguished Graduate for T-38 aircraft.
Ball, a 2006 Lahainaluna High School graduate, was a Maui Interscholastic League all-star running back and state champion wrestler.
He graduated in 2010 from the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned All-American status in boxing.
Ball completed his Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training and received his pilot wings on Aug. 17.
He will be assigned to the 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Ball will train to pilot a U-28, an aircraft used for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of Special Operations forces.
The 319th Spec Ops Squadron is the headquarters for the Air Force Special Operations Command.