Maj Phil Ambard joined the Air Force at 18 to get his American citizenship. He spent 16 years as an enlisted man rising to (S)MSGT before attaining his commission. At the time he deployed to Kandahar as a Com officer, he had just completed his PhD at Denver University and was an Air Force Academy French/Spanish professor.

Many people could talk all day about Phil’s achievements in the military, but his best qualities were his devotion to family, God, and his ability to see the “invisible” people and connect with them. He was proudest of being a father to his five children, four of whom serve (or have served ) in the military now. Phil took that fierce devotion to family to the USAFA where he not only taught the cadets, but mentored them, treated them with kindness, and had many over to our house where he could mentor them as men (or women). Phil’s character trait that was often overlooked, was his ability to connect with people that are often overlooked. He would notice the people in the minimal jobs, the homeless, or the people on the fringes. He would practice every one of his multiple languages to connect with them and then he would bring small things to them.

Phil was devoted to his adopted country and that devotion led to his love for and commitment to our country. He came to the United States of America at the age of twelve knowing only two words of English. He felt that Americans