06/30/2026
All help us welcome Jake Ritchter. He has been selected to him on our 2nd annual fly fishing retreat in Utah. Take a moment and read his bio.
I’d like to start by expressing my appreciation to Patriot Alliance Outdoors for selecting my close friend, squadronmate, and nominee, Lt Col Tyler “Rasta” Ripley, you could not have picked a more deserving individual! Happiness turned into a feeling of humility and appreciation when Ron informed me not only Tyler was selected, but I was as well. We are both so honored and grateful. I am looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend of fly fishing with one of my closest friends. Thank you.
I was born and raised on the western tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Ironwood. I developed a love of the outdoors from a young age, fishing, deer, and duck hunting with my father, grandfather, and uncle. After highschool, I attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth where I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through the AFROTC program in 2011. Upon graduation I was stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas going through Undergraduate Remote Pilot Training where I was selected to fly the MQ-1 Predator.
After earning my wings I moved to Las Vegas NV where I was stationed at Creech Air Force Base Nevada. From 2012-2016 I logged nearly 3000 hours and 500 combat missions in the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, while conducting and coordinating airstrikes in operations overseas. In early 2015 I met my wife, Veronica, we got married in the fall of 2016.
After our wedding, Veronica and I moved to Holloman Air Force Base, NM where I served as an instructor pilot until late 2018. In 2018 separated from Active Duty, moved back to Michigan and joined the Air Force Reserve with a squadron at Creech Air Force Base in a part time capacity while going back to school with the ultimate goal of attending medical school. I was going to school full time, but would return to Creech to fly during the summer and over Christmas break. In 2021 Veronica and I welcomed our boy, Walter, into this world.
On 23 December 2023, Lt Col Ripley and I were hit by a drunk driver while en route to go duck hunting. In the accident I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, which ultimately precluded my pursuit of medical school. I spent the next four months undergoing rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service in San Antonio, Texas. During this time, Lt Col Ripley provided critical support to my family, assisting with their relocation from Northern Michigan to Las Vegas.
My unit’s leadership graciously offered me full time work in an administrative capacity upon returning from rehab. I am now serving on full time orders in the Air Force again and am seven years from a military retirement. I remain committed to returning to fly, in service to the mission and the nation, hunting down those who wish to do America harm. I am optimistic that I will be medically cleared to return to flight status prior to our fishing trip in July.
Thank you again, I’m honored to be selected as a candidate for Patriot Alliance Outdoors.
Major Jake “Wham” Richter
