Lt. Col. Chris Leonard, Capt. Amanda Jacobson, 1st Lt. Collin Couture named Hokie Heroes for the Military Appreciation Game

Katie Mallory

18 Sep 2025

Jacobson stands next to Couture and Leonard, who are holding a striped VT flag. They are all wearing tan military flight suits while smiling at the camera. A military jet sits in the background. — (From left) Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni Capt. Amanda Jacobson ’18, 1st Lt. Collin Couture ’20, and Lt. Col. Chris Leonard ’10. Photo courtesy of Chris Leonard.

Three alumni serving in the U.S. Air Force are the Hokie Heroes for the Military Appreciation Game against Wofford.

Lt. Col. Chris Leonard, a 2010 corps graduate, earned his degree in history from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Capt. Amanda Jacobson, a 2018 corps graduate, earned her degree in industrial and systems engineering from the College of Engineering, and 2020 corps graduate 1st Lt. Collin Couture earned his degree in engineering science and mechanics from the College of Engineering.

The Hokie Hero program honors corps alumni who are deployed. Recipients are highlighted by Bill Roth and Mike Burnop during their radio broadcast of Hokie football games, on the Corps of Cadets website, and in the Corps Review alumni magazine.

All three are deployed with the 391st Fighter Squadron in U.S. Central Command’s military operations area serving as weapons systems officers on the F-15E Strike Eagle.

While in the corps, Leonard served as the Hotel Company commander and 2nd Battalion commander and was also a member of the German Club. Jacobson was the Lima Company commander and the regimental adjutant during her senior year and was a member of the Navigators fellowship group. Couture was a member of Alpha Company and played club hockey.

Leonard has deployed three times, while this is the first deployment for Jacobson and Couture.