Tinian aviator honored for making NMI history

A Tinian resident is to be formally recognized at home, seven months after he made history as the first helicopter pilot from the Northern Marianas to receive his aviator’s “Wings of Gold.”

Sen. Henry San Nicolas has introduced a resolution congratulating Marine 1st Lt. Adrian Anthony R. Evangelista for being the first Tinian resident to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005, and for earning his wings as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps earlier this year.

“1st Lt. Adrian Anthony R. Evangelista is another success story that the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and especially the people of Tinian can be proud of because of [his] commitment to serve his people and his country with courage, dignity, honor, and intelligence,” states the resolution.

“Evangelista had a dream and followed that dream to reality, thus setting a fine example to our youth of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that nothing is impossible to achieve if you are determined to make a future for yourself,” the resolution adds.

Born on Dec. 3, 1982, Evangelista is the son of Antonio and Evelyn Evangelista of San Jose, Tinian. He grew up on the island and graduated from the Tinian Junior/Senior High School in 2000.

As a member of the Naval Academy’s boxing team, Evangelista won numerous medals and was selected to be a member of the All-American Collegiate Boxing Team in 2005.

On May 27, 2005, he was commissioned as 1st lieutenant in the Marine Corps and became the first Tinian resident to have graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, with a bachelor’s degree in information technology.

Evangelista was selected for aviation training with the Marine Corps and received his training at Helicopter Training Squadrons 8, 18, and 28. On April 4, 2008, he earned his Wings of Gold as a helicopter pilot for the Marine Corps.

In an article that appeared in the U.S. Navy’s website in May 2008, Evangelista was quoted as saying that Tinian’s history was a major factor in his decision to become a Marine Corps officer.

The Northern Marianas was the site of some of the bloodiest battles during World War II. Tinian, in particular, lays claim to having the largest airfield of the WWII era and being the departure point for the two atomic bombs that ended the war.