Whitesboro Native Receives National Military Honor

If you run into Captain Jason Cole of Whitesboro, make sure you say a big congrats! He's being recognized as the Continental United States NORAD Region Command & Control Officer of the Year by the United States Air Force. 

Thousands of officers from across the country were nominated, but our very own Central New Yorker won the honors. Captain Cole's contributions distinguished him from the other nominees. Here's some of the things he did last year to win this award according to his wife Heather Cole on Facebook:

 - Defended the President's airspace 27 times with fighter jets
- Logged over 1400 hours as the Senior Director at EADS
- Scrambled fighter 134 times to intercept aircraft
- Developed Communication and Search and Rescue plans for Hurricane Irma

Captain Cole has been in the Air Force since 2004, as part of the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, and a member of the Air National Guard on active duty. Captain Cole lives in Whitesboro, with his wife Heather and their children, Alex, Carter, and Tenley.

In the past, Captain Cole graduated first in his class at the U.S. Air Force's Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training Course at Tyndall AFB, and he also was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate and received the prestigious Yukla 27 Award.

BONUS VIDEO