![\"Brigadier](\"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cason-may24.jpg\")
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The Air Force ranks include more than 61,000 officers; only 108 of those have reached the rank of brigadier general. In December, Baylor graduate Randall Cason Jr. (BS ’95) joined that esteemed group<\/a> — and he chose to return to his alma mater to mark the occasion.<\/p>\n The son of an Army test pilot, Cason took an early interest in flying. His career path, which tells the story of a man dedicated to service and leadership, further took off at Baylor. A mathematics major, he was a part of Baylor\u2019s longstanding Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps<\/a> (AFROTC) program. As he embarked on a career in the skies, it\u2019s clear he maintained his bond with the university.<\/p>\n In 1995, Cason accepted a commission to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon and later flew missions over Iraq. Amidst challenging circumstances<\/a> after the first Gulf War, he distinguished himself and later became the first pilot in the Air Force Reserve to fly the F-22<\/a> in 2006, which was then recognized as the most technologically advanced fighter jet created. Cason went on to train future pilots and rose to the rank of colonel.<\/p>\n When it came time to receive the prestigious promotion to brigadier general, Cason came home to his native Texas — and more specifically, to Baylor\u2019s Truett Seminary. It was there that he held the April ceremony recognizing him with the new rank. More than a significant place at his alma mater, Truett Seminary was where his mother, Jan Cason<\/a>, served many years as financial manager and continues to serve as adjunct faculty.<\/p>\n