Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus John Kilareski named Hokie Hero

5 Jan 2009

Maj. John Kilareski (left) and flight engineer Master Sgt. Steve Hellwich at Naval Air Station Souda Bay, Greece, during a refueling stop.

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Maj. John Kilareski, who received a degree in management from the Pamplin College of Business in 1997, has been selected as a Hokie Hero.

The corps Hokie Hero program, started in 2006 by ISP Sports and sponsored by the University Bookstore, honors Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni who are currently deployed. Recipients of this honor are featured during the radio broadcast of Virginia Tech football games, on the corps website, on the corps alumni website and in the Corps Review magazine.

Kilareski is currently stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, as a member of the 379th Expeditionary Operations Group, United States Air Force. John is currently flying the C-20 aircraft, providing executive airlift for United State’s senior leaders throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, and the entire Middle East. He is from Port Matilda, Pa., and this is his 8th combat deployment.

Kilareski is a 1997 graduate of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, a department in the Division of Student Affairs, and was the drum major of the Highty-Tighties – the corps regimental marching band -- during his senior year. He and his wife Carrie Queen Kilareski -- a 1999 graduate of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets who received her degree in mathematics from the College of Science -- have two children, Matt and Sarah.