Major Tae Ik Yeo graduated from the Air Force Academy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and from Korea National Defense University with a master’s degree in military strategy. He had flight training and became an F-5 Tiger fighter pilot in the 111 Squadron of the ROK Air Force at Kunsan Air Base in Korea, where the U.S. Air Force employs F-16 fighters. Maj. Yeo changed to F-16 fighters in the 161 Squadron in the 19th Wing in 1998. He served as an operations officer in the 155 Squadron, including as chief of quality control in the maintenance department and as chief of the standards and evaluation department for pilot and air traffic control and antiaircraft defense. His most recent assignment was as vice commander of the 121 Fighter Squadron, which employs the F-16 Fighter Block 50 in the 20th Wing and has a key role in defending the western coast of the Korean peninsula. Maj. Yeo has served in a wide variety of air and ground missions, including air defense, air strike, air interception, close air support, and new pilot training. He also participated in the operation for air defense of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and various ROK-U.S. combined exercises in Korea. He has conducted numerous assignments on the Korean peninsula.
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