F-22 fighter pilot, NASA engineer speak at annual Martin Luther King Jr. banquet
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IDAHO FALLS — An F-22 Air Force pilot and a NASA Systems Engineer spoke during the 15th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. banquet Friday night.
The theme of the event, held at Melaleuca Global Headquarters in Idaho Falls, was “Let Peace and Unity Take Flight.” The Idaho Falls African American Alliance sponsored the gathering and Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper, Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti, business leaders, community members and others attended.
Michelle Amos, an engineer currently serving with her husband as a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission leader in Louisiana, spoke virtually about working for NASA and the organization’s goal of having a woman on the moon by 2025. Amos encouraged young people to study science, technology, engineering and math.
“As we discover, explore, and innovate, we will create peace on earth. Although countries may be at war, we have peace when we do space exploration,” Amos said. “We work together with all people throughout the world for these types of things.”
Major Daniel Walker, an F-22 Raptor Mission Commander with over 700 hours of flight time, was the keynote speaker. He shared lessons he learned in the Air Force and how King’s legacy of leading with empathy can be applied to all walks of life.
“To be a leader grounded in empathy means you take feedback from those closest to the problems because they are best suited to craft the best solutions,” Walker said. “As a leader of empathy, most days you are a facilitator or catalyst and only some days are you the originator and executor of ideas.”
Over $10,000 of items were donated from local businesses for a silent auction with proceeds going to scholarships and Champ’s Heart, a non-profit equine program that helps children and veterans with disabilities.