News

The 2024 Fly for Duke Aviation Scholarship recipients have been chosen, and award letters will be going out this week. If you don’t receive one, know that we appreciate you applying. We received many qualified applicants, and we encourage you to apply again next year.

Maya Weiss

With the help from the DCSF I am able to attend an LREC to England in order to further my education in my chosen area of study, cyber operations, as well as learn more about the intelligence community. I am also very much looking forward to exploring the culture of the United Kingdom as we travel from city to city. I am so appreciative for the DCSF for funding me to attend this trip. I know I will make memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. After graduation I will commission as a Navy Pilot and report to Pensacola, FL for initial flight training.

View the list of 2023 Scholarship Recipients.

Dr. Mark Haigney of Walter Reed and Dr. Adam Saperstein of the USNA, along with their team, implemented a practical screening program to reduce sudden cardiac death (SCD), the leading cause of non-traumatic death in military recruits. Both Dr. Haigney and Dr. Saperstein assured the Carrillo family that Duke will not have died in vain, and if left to them, no other midshipman would die when a simple EKG could detect life threatening arrhythmias and aberrancies. Because of their tireless work, in July, 2020, EKG screening was implemented for all plebes entering the USNA. In that class alone, 10 plebes were referred to Walter Reed for evaluation. Eventually, all 4,095 midshipmen had an EKG, and out of those, 87 were referred for further evaluation. At least two lives were undeniably saved as a result of this screening. Their work made it into the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and in December, 2021, President Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which includes cardiac screenings for the United States Naval Academy, West Point, and the Air Force Academy. They hope to use this data to expand EKG screenings to military entrance processing stations in the future. Dr. Saperstein said that Duke inspires the whole team in the work that they do.

Jennifer Carrillo was a guest on the USNA MidMoms and More Podcast. Listen to the podcast here.

Mission: To publicly honor and remember every American fallen service member and recognize the enduring sacrifice of every family. Learn more about the Honor and Remember Flags.

Thank you Lift Airborne Technologies and Elijah and Krystal Supper! Duke has serial number one!! Our hearts fill up with your love and generosity!! We are amazed and humbled by this bad boy flight helmet!!

The flight helmet presented to The Duke Carrillo Foundation is serial number one. It is registered to Duke Carrillo. The new flight helmet started in 2018 through the USAF AFWERX program which was implemented to increase competition, reduce time to delivery, encourage innovation, attract new technologies, and entice non-traditional/small business companies to work with the government. It occurred through a streamlined process which mitigates barriers to entry for defense contracting. The AFWERX Helmet Challenge began with over 100 competitors from around the world that included the Who’s Who in the global fixed wing flight helmet market and other subject matter experts. In the end, LIFT Airborne’s Product Development Team demonstrated that their helmet was the most advanced, effective, and efficient solution to provide value for the airborne warfighter.

The United States Air Force, through its Program Management Office, formally announced that LIFT Airborne Technologies trough the LIFT Aviation division is the final winner of the multi-year Next Generation Fixed WIng-Helmet (NGFWH) competition and will continue with prototype development of a new helmet for Air Force fixed-wing aircrew.

Derek France, the Mayor of Flower Mound, read Duke’s proclamation as a “Hometown Hero” at the Town Council Meeting. The town presented us with the banner that hung in his honor.