CDR Lew “Jumper” Hoyt (Beta Sigma–Southern California ’62) was recently inducted into the Golden Eagles. This membership organization is the highest recognition that a Naval Aviator can achieve with only 200 pilots receiving this honor, from the thousands of Navy and Marine Corps pilots. Members are chosen from those who are “pioneers in some new aspect of Naval Aviation, or who are respected by their peers as leaders because of their outstanding skills as a pilot, their wide experience, good judgment, personal character, and their dedication to flying”.
“Of the different Awards that I have ever received, this is the one that I cherish!” commented Lew Hoyt. “About 100 of these guys are Navy Admirals and USMC Generals, and many are Astronauts or Space Shuttle Commanders. So, as you can imagine, I feel greatly honored, yet at the same time feel very humbled.”
Lew was selected because of his leadership during combat in Vietnam, and because of being a tactics instructor for 4 years at Topgun, also flying and teaching with the Israeli Air Force, and being one of 4 Navy pilots to be selected to fly the airplanes up in the very “Top Secret Area51” (which has now been declassified).
