2010s: The Visionaries

Abe Go ’12 is an active duty officer serving in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot flying an F-15 Eagle. He is currently stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. As a result of his active duty, Go has had the jaw dropping opportunity to travel around the world, to countries like Iceland, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, and over almost all 50 states in the US.

As a matter of fact, travel and change are not new to Go. From scoring a game-winning layup during his first freshman year basketball game against St. Joseph Notre Dame High School to performing with the band during the San Francisco Giants World Series championship parade in 2010 down Market Street, Go has had his fair share of the Riordan experience.

Reminiscing about his  time as a Crusader, Go stated, “Riordan was without a doubt, one of the best decisions that I made. The school allowed me multiple avenues to focus on skills in which I lacked in middle school. Not only was I able to focus academically, but I also played multiple sports, led the marching band, and participated in Campus Ministry.”

Post-Riordan, Go was off to the University of California at Berkeley’s Air Force Reserve Officers’ training corps detachment program. Shortly after receiving his commission, he was assigned to Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma for undergraduate pilot training.

“Being born and raised in the Bay Area, I really did not know what to expect, especially moving out to Oklahoma,” Go remembers. “However, it was those men and women, hearing their stories, that gave me the utmost respect for them.”

During his time in Oklahoma, he achieved the basic training in what Go called, a “rigorous” 54 week training program. One of the basic skills he learned was how to fly four feet away from another aircraft. In the end, it was all worth it, as he was awarded “wings of silver.”

Before getting the honor of flying the prestigious F-15, he was sent to Wichita Falls, where he had his first official taste of the fighter pilot tactics and culture. After returning back to Oklahoma and two and a half years later, he was sent to the 493rd fighter squadron, or “The Grim Reapers,” in the United Kingdom where he is stationed.

Go said, “My motivation for getting up every day is the fellow Airmen and women I serve with. Actually, it was quite comparable to the ‘Brotherhood’ that I experienced at Riordan. Being a first generation American, first generation service member and aviator, intimidating was an understatement.”

Even after everything he has learned, Go always circles back to Riordan.

“The Brotherhood that was formed during my time is something I have yet to experience again,” Go said. “Although the military does scratch that itch, nothing truly compares to the bonds made and solidified during my time at Riordan.”