Estes shines at Air Assault School

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadet Alyssa Estes earned her Air Assault wings and ruck march champion honors July 21 at The Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She completed Air Assault Class AA 29-26, in which only 71 of 198 candidates graduated — a completion rate of about 36% from the group that started July 7.

The culminating 12-mile ruck march began before sunrise, but the early start provided little relief from the heat. Weather observations at Campbell Army Airfield recorded 79 degrees and 90% humidity at 5:52 a.m. By 7:52 a.m., the temperature had climbed to 82 degrees while humidity remained at 85%. Seventeen candidates were medically dropped for heat-related injuries following the event.

Candidates were required to complete the 12 miles in less than three hours while carrying a 35-pound rucksack plus their fighting load. At 5 feet 1 inch and 120 pounds, Estes faced the same distance, load and standard as every other candidate.

She finished as the class ruck march champion.

Preliminary information from The Sabalauski Air Assault School and U.S. Army Cadet Command indicates Estes is only the second woman in the school's history to earn the honor. Her performance also appears to be the faster of the two. Final confirmation of the historical distinction is pending a review of the school's records.

"I was not surprised," said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Joey Blacksher, senior executive advisor to the superintendent of the Cadet Leadership Academy. "As a sophomore, Alyssa completed a 12-mile ruck in 1 hour, 53 minutes. That is not potential. That is demonstrated performance. When the heat increased and the standard stayed fixed, she did what she has trained herself to do: carry the load, stay in the fight and finish in front."

Estes said the final miles brought her Ranger Challenge preparation and coaching to mind.

"When the heat and fatigue set in, I thought about the Ranger Challenge coaches and the confidence they placed in us," Estes said. "Coach Casey Dunn's leadership strengthened my determination to keep moving and lead from the front. When my pace slowed, I replaced self-criticism with positive self-talk. That helped me manage the fatigue, control my emotions and keep pushing."

She also viewed the course as an opportunity to earn the respect of the enlisted soldiers in her class through consistent effort and a genuine commitment to excellence.

"She wanted to earn the respect of the enlisted soldiers in her class," Blacksher said. "Finishing in front of them with a ruck on her back probably settled the matter."

Estes, from Trion, Georgia, is pursuing a degree in political science with a minor in Japanese. She was a member of UNG's Ranger Challenge Black team, which placed second among 43 teams at the 6th Brigade Titan Ranger Challenge and returned UNG to the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition for the first time in four years. She also earned the Iron Boar Award as the top female physical performer in UNG's Cadet Advanced Leadership Course in fall 2025.

The Army established what is now The Sabalauski Air Assault School on Feb. 1, 1974. Renamed in 1994 in honor of retired Command Sgt. Maj. Walter J. Sabalauski, the school has graduated more than 200,000 U.S. and international military personnel. Its fiscal year 2026 schedule lists 40 Air Assault classes, including Class AA 29-26.

"Air Assault School did not create the qualities that carried Estes across the finish line. It exposed them. When the heat, load and fatigue stripped the event down to discipline and will, the foundation built through Ranger Challenge and the Corps held," Blacksher said. "Estes left Fort Campbell with Air Assault wings and the ruck march champion plaque — proof that what is forged in the Corps holds under load."