Capt. Bennett Bridgman, B.S.

Assistant Professor of Air and Space Studies, Air Force ROTC 

Captain Bennett Bridgman is from the coast of North Carolina and joined the Air Force in 2018 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from North Carolina State University. He commissioned as a weather officer and started his career at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona where he forecasted weather for military installations and activities in the western half of the continental United States, including the Portland National Guard Base. From Arizona, he moved to Osan Air Base in South Korea, forecasting weather for F-16 and A-10 aircraft on the peninsula. After South Korea he stayed overseas, spending four years stationed at a U.S. Army Base in Italy. There he earned his parachutist badge and used his weather expertise to ensure the safety of airborne operations. He worked across Europe and Africa building partnerships and teaching environmental intelligence to partner nation personnel. Most importantly he met and married in Italy and the two have now moved to Portland to start life in the states after five years abroad. As an Air Force ROTC graduate himself, Capt. Bridgman is excited to pay his experience forward by dedicating his time, energy, and experience to the cadets of Detachment 695 at the University of Portland to develop future leaders and Air Force officers.