“I hope I can inspire others. If I can do it, they can do it,” Dewitt said.
Dewitt, 23, is the third recruit from Ohio to join the Space Force. There has been one person recruited from the Cincinnati area and one from Columbus, said Tech. Sgt. Anthony Addison, who works as a Space Force recruiter.
The U.S. Space Force was founded in December 2019. It is a sixth branch of the military. There are Space Force bases in California, Colorado and Florida, Addison said. Their duties include working on satellites and cybersecurity, he said. The Space Force is also responsible for operating and defending military satellites and ground stations that provide communications, navigation and Earth observation, like the detection of missiles.
Dewitt said he will work on cable and antenna systems, which are skills he said he looks forward to carrying with him into civilian life after the Space Force. Dewitt says he is honored to be part of history and one of the early guardians in a new branch of the military.
His grandfather was in the Air Force and saw combat, Dewitt said. Dewitt said he remembers the exhilarating stories his grandfather told him of his time in the military and hopes to have stories to tell his own future children.
He said he chose the Space Force because of the kinds of jobs that were open to him in that branch.
“I love to tinker,” he said.
Addison said there are about 10,000 Space Force members total, including nearly 6,000 civilian members. The Space Force is predicted to grow to 16,000 in the next couple of years. It is the smallest branch of the U.S. military.
There are several Space Force guardians who work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base already, Addison said.
Space Force guardians will train at the Air Force’s Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Addison said the Air Force and the Space Force will be intertwined for the foreseeable future. The Space Force was established within the Department of the Air Force, meaning the Secretary of the Air Force has overall responsibility for the Space Force, under the guidance and direction of the Secretary of Defense. Over the past year, the Space Force has has debuted its organizational structure; official logo, seal, flag and motto. Uniforms were recently finalized, Addison said.
Addison said the Space Force is still recruiting members for this fiscal year. They are looking for about 300 more recruits.
For those interested in learning more about the Space Force, visit www.airforce.com/spaceforce.
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