Zeeland Native Serves Alongside Next Generation of U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighters

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (WHTC-AM/FM, June 11, 2024) –  Maj. Tyler Wiersma, a native of Zeeland, Michigan, is serving in the U.S. Marines Corps alongside the U.S. Navy assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 28 where naval aviators learn the skills they need to fly missions around the world.

Wiersma, a 2010 graduate of Unity Christian High School, joined the Marine Corps 10 years ago. Wiersma also earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2014. Today, Wiersma serves as an instructor pilot assigned to VT 28, a U.S. Navy primary flight training squadron located at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

The aviation squadron’s primary mission is to train future naval aviators to fly as well as instill leadership and officer values, Navy officials explained. Students must complete many phases of flight training to graduate, including aviation preflight indoctrination, primary flight training, and advanced flight training. After successfully completing the rigorous program, naval aviators earn their coveted “Wings of Gold.”