Marine pilot first to get ‘wings’ from CNMI

When 1st Lt. Adrian Anthony R. Evangelista received his aviator’s “Wings of Gold” Friday, April 4, he also set a precedent as the first U.S. Marine Corps pilot in the history of the Northern Marianas archipelago.

The Marianas islands have a rich American military history dating back through the horrific battles fought to claim the islands from Japanese during World War II.

The area, including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian islands, also lays claim to having the largest airfield of the WWII era, being the site of the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” and for being the departure point for the two atomic bombs that ended WWII.

Evangelista was fully aware of the history surrounding his homeland, Tinian, and admits that it was a major factor in his decision to become a Marine Corps officer.

“The Marines played such a huge role in liberating the islands, that it played a big role in my decision as well.”

It is hard to imagine that in the past 60 years, no officer from that area has worn the pilot’s wings. However, Tinian is sparsely populated with only about 4,000 residents.

The island is significantly smaller than Saipan and approximately the same population as Rota, its nearest neighbors.

The islands, also, were not properly a part of the United States until 1975 when the archipelago voted to become a Commonwealth under an agreement with the U.S. administration. This provided the area an opportunity to have a representative able to nominate candidates for consideration to the Naval Academy.

Evangelista was a freshman when the representative came to his school, and that presentation started the dream. He finished third in his 2000 graduating class three years later and requested the nomination. Evangelista received the nomination, but didn’t gain initial admittance.

Instead, he received an offer to go to the Naval Academy Preparatory School. He accepted and completed the program in 2001. He entered the Naval Academy the next year and graduated in 2005. Following completion of initial training for Marine officers, Evangelista transferred to Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Helicopter Training Squadron-8 for flight training.

“I took the opportunity that was offered and was able to take advantage of it,” he said. “I was just a kid who was trying to work hard, and everything went my way for what I wanted.”

Next on his agenda is transferring to Camp Pendleton in San Diego to learn how to fly the CH-46E troop transport helicopter with the Marine Medium Training Helicopter Squadron-164. Once he qualifies, he will then move to Okinawa, Japan, to join a helicopter squadron there.

Evangelista’s journey has evidently inspired his family. Shortly after he joined the academy, two of his younger siblings enlisted in the military.

He also has several cousins who also joined, two of whom are serving in Iraq now. Evangelista doesn’t see anything special in his status, calling himself “a young kid who got an opportunity.”

Other people see things a little differently. Helicopter Training Squadron-8 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Kevin Kropp called Evangelista a “model student” and said he will “an invaluable asset to the fleet in the Global War on Terrorism.”

Similarly, A. P. Sgambelluri, a retired Marine Corps Col. and former Guam Chief of Police praised his capabilities as well.

“I am very proud to know that 1st Lt. Evangelista is now a qualified Naval Aviator Marine Helicopter Pilot. He’s always been a high achiever, thinks fast on his feet, and strives to improve his performance consistently—a typical islander son who displays sincerity of ambitions. As an aviator, he displays the confidence needed to face the toughest leadership challenges ahead.”