{"id":2444794,"date":"2019-05-30T21:36:01","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T03:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalts-tai-kim-headed-toward-military-career-through-air-force-academy\/"},"modified":"2019-05-30T21:36:01","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T03:36:01","slug":"basalts-tai-kim-headed-toward-military-career-through-air-force-academy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/basalts-tai-kim-headed-toward-military-career-through-air-force-academy\/","title":{"rendered":"Basalt\u2019s Tai Kim headed toward military career through Air Force Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"
Basalt High School senior Tai Kim will graduate this weekend before leaving for the Air Force Academy in June, where he hopes to one day fly jets. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong>
Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tai Kim didn\u2019t fully buy into the military lifestyle until he made a visit to the Air Force Academy only days before his incomplete application was due. But it had been a life he had been grooming himself for since he started at Basalt High School, and it\u2019s a decision he\u2019s now ready to jump into head first.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second I got on base there I really felt I belonged,\u201d Kim said. \u201cMy brother is a firefighter, so he serves the country in his way. I believe that everyone should give back to the country in some way or form, because that is what the country needs. And I feel like this is the best way I can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim, a BHS senior, will be one of 89 official graduates when the school holds its graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday on the football field. He was one of two head students this year, was the president of the National Honor Society and was a captain on the Longhorn football team. He also was in the chamber choir, if that wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

A standout athlete, student and leader, Kim\u2019s appointment to the Air Force Academy, which is located near Colorado Springs and is incredibly difficult to get into, came as no surprise to anyone who knew him. The application process included writing numerous essays, physical tests, and it required getting a nomination letter from a congressman, which he received from Colorado representative Scott Tipton.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a unique blend of a student who is super capable, but also very willing and open to acknowledge his own weaknesses and seek help when he needs to,\u201d BHS principal Peter Mueller said. \u201cHe is aware of how others will interpret his actions. He was always looking for guidance on, \u2018Am I striking the right tone? Is this the right way to do this?\u2019 He was constantly looking for ways to make sure he was headed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim said it was his grandfather who turned him onto the Air Force, although none of his direct family members have any military background. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. By going through the academy, Kim will be an officer as soon as he graduates, a nice bonus to go with his four-year degree.<\/p>\n

He plans to major in engineering, a nice choice for a future pilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to fly jets, mainly, once I get out. I could do that through the Navy, but I don\u2019t like big masses of water very much. I do think flying is a very cool aspect and any military academy has great opportunities but I felt like the Air Force fitted me the best,\u201d Kim said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping I can put in 20 or more years and retire and then start working in the private sector flying either private jets or commercial airliners or being an engineer. But I do plan on making a career out of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim was a standout linebacker and fullback for the football team, and called the defensive plays for the Longhorns the past two seasons, the most successful two-year stretch in program history. More than anything, it\u2019s his unique leadership skills that will translate well in his quest to become an officer in the Air Force.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids will tell you all sorts of stuff, but he was just a doer. So Tai wasn\u2019t going to talk to you about a bunch of things, he was going to show you by his work ethic and who he was as a person,\u201d BHS football coach Carl Frerichs said of Kim\u2019s leadership ability. \u201cThose are the type of kids you love having on your team and are just a joy to coach. They inspire you to be the best coach you can be and they do so much for your program. I can\u2019t thank Tai enough for what he\u2019s done the last four years at the high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Saturday\u2019s graduation, Kim will sing with the choir and give a speech as one of the head students. He said his speech will be about encouraging family and community, especially after all the losses the students have endured this past year.<\/p>\n

Unlike most of his college-bound peers, Kim\u2019s break will last only until June 27, his first day of basic cadet training. The entire month of July is basically a boot camp for the newbies, with classes getting underway in August.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s excited and nervous. He understands a time could come where he\u2019d be called into action, and feels he is ready for the rigors of being in the academy. It\u2019s a life he\u2019s spent the past four years preparing himself for, and it\u2019s a life he looks forward to embracing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to serve, so I\u2019m not too scared of getting called into action,\u201d Kim said. \u201cMy biggest fear is just the academy itself, because it\u2019s tough. I think I\u2019m ready, and a lot of people think I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim says his parents are on board, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are excited and happy. I\u2019m sure they are scared, but they don\u2019t tell me that too much. They want me to make my decision and be happy,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be nice to have a summer, but I feel it\u2019s good to just get right into it and start working.\u201d<\/p>\n

acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Basalt High School senior Tai Kim will graduate this weekend before leaving for the Air Force Academy in June, where he hopes to one day fly jets. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times Tai Kim didn\u2019t fully buy into the military lifestyle until he made a visit to the Air Force Academy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2444794","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 00:49:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2444794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2444794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2444794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2444794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}