Aurelia Whitegrove
Aurelia Whitegrove | |
|---|---|
 Air Lieutenant Commandant Whitegrove in her official portrait after promotion to ALCd, 2022. | |
| Born | 14 January 1977 Kaharoa, Kalua Territory, Meridon |
| Allegiance |  Meridon |
| Service/ |  Meridonian Air Forces |
| Years of service | 2000 - Present |
| Rank |  Air Lieutenant Commandant |
| Commands held | Tactical Fighter Squadron 54 Air Forces Development and Evaluation Wing Air Sector Southeast |
| Awards | see below |
Air Lieutenant Commandant Aurelia Whitegrove, DSSC, (born 14 January 1977) is a Meridonian Air Forces general officer who currently serves as a liaison officer to the Executive Office of the President. She previously served as the Meridonian representative to the International Coalition of Nation's Security Council, and as a fighter and test aircraft pilot.
Early Life
Aurelia was born in 1977 in Kaharoa, Kalua Territory to a lumber salesman father and a cafe owner mother, and was the second of four children- one older and one younger brother; and one younger sister. Whitegrove is of primarily English and French descent. Her father was a conscript during the final peacetime years of Meridonian national service, but was medically discharged due to the discovery of a degenerative condition. Aurelia cites her father as a major reason towards her attraction towards the military service. She was educated in the Kaharoa public school system, including the Marigold Winters Preparatory School, and was active through her scholastic years in soccer and later in Meridonian rules football. She spent much of her free time assisting her mother as a worker in her cafe. She participated briefly with the Territorial Cadets, a military-aligned cadet organization oriented with the Meridonian Army's Territorial Forces.
Whitegrove came to enjoy her work assisting her mother and her participation in student government organizations, roles in which she has claimed lead to her respect of public servitude. In 1996, Whitegrove applied to and was accepted to the Air Forces Academy in Orofêt with the intention of becoming a jet pilot. Whitegrove was involved in a scandal in 1997 regarding ritualized hazing of female cadets in the cross-country running team, while she was in her second year and gave testimony to a courtmartial that saw a services-wide investigation into organized hazing and discriminatory practices. During her training at Orofêt, she was qualified as a pilot by University-affiliated civilian flight instructors, earning a private license for airplanes in 1998. She graduated in 2000 with a degree in international relations as 189th out of a class of 968 cadets, and serving as a Cadet Group Commander, the third seniormost leadership position. Whitegrove cites her academy years as the most formative of her life and, despite being hazed herself, regards the Academy as one of Meridon's finest educational institutes.
Military Career
Whitegrove was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2000 and ordered to report to MAB Lisbet for primary flight training with Training Wing 23, from which she graduated in late 2000. Whitegrove showed natural aptitude for flight and graduated third in her class, and was selected for tactical aircraft and hence assigned to Training Wing 21 at MAB Bernic for advanced training, from which she graduated in early 2001. She was then assigned to 44 Conversion Squadron to train on the F5M2 Lynx, where she then received conversion training to fly on F5M6 Lynx models. She graduated in 2003 and was assigned to 54 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Blackpeaks", based at MAB Vinovia in Helena Territory.
Whitegrove's fellow officers regarded her as an exemplary officer and an exceptional pilot- she was generally well liked by 'everyone except for the maintenance crews', according to one of her former commanding officers. She was consistently promoted earlier than expected resulting from high personal fitness reports. Whitegrove participated in a pair of deployments, including a combat deployment during the Marquesan Emergency in 2015, where she, then a squadron officer executive; achieved four air-to-air weapons kills against Divine Wind stealth fighters and was involved in a number of air-to-ground sorties. She was meritoriously promoted to Colonel following her deployment on the direct recommendation of then- Major General John Ironwood owing to her involvement in two strikes that helped preserved friendly formations under withering fire. Following her service in Marquesan, she briefly became an instructor pilot and pilot evaluator for Tactical Fighter Wing 12 before she received a transfer to the Air Forces Development and Evaluation Wing as a test pilot. At some point during her time with 54 TFS, she was given the callsign "Sol".
Whitegrove served as a test pilot in AFDEX Wing from 2016 to 2022. During this time she was primarily involved in the development of a number of "Seven Series" tactical aircraft- namely the Laurein B7M Raven and Gruening F7M Wedgetail. She additionally served as an Air Forces subject matter expert on beyond visual range warfare, contributing significant developmental advice on the MUA-180 ERIS extended range air-to-air missile system and delivering classes on BVR warfare to operational Navy and Air Forces squadrons.
During her time as a test pilot, she was involved in a pair of ejections- one from a F5M6 Lynx following a control surface failure in 2018, and a second from a F7M Wedgetail following a low-altitude birdstrike in 2021. Whitegrove was medically grounded following the second ejection as the Air Forces prohibits pilots from operating tactical aircraft if they have underwent two ejections. She was transferred to a staff role on the AFDEX wing, attending Defense Senior Staff College in 2021 following a promotion to Air Commodore. Following her completion of DSSC, she was transfered to Air Forces headquarters in Cordelia, where she served briefly on the staff as a foreign military cooperation liaison officer, primarily interfacing with the Anagonian Confederate States Air Force. When Meridon joined the International Coalition of Nations, Whitegrove was selected to serve as the Meridonian military liaison to the organization.
Diplomatic and special service
Whitegrove was promoted to the rank of Air Lieutenant Commandant in early 2023, and was assigned on a special allocation by the Defense Department and State Department as a military liasion to the International Coalition of Nations. However, when Meridon acceded to the Security Council, she became the country's representative to the body. Her first appearance in this capacity was at the council's third iteration, where her oratory gained domestic media attention and praise from across political spectrums. This was especially true during the abortive Belleme defense conference of July 2023, where she furiously dressed down the Anagonian vice president Callan Ford, former diplomat Max Gill, and defense head Chief General Stevens; following a fist-fight in the hallways over a romantic scuffle between the first two regarding SACHI, the leader of Darlingtown. Her personal popularity remained high, though she refused to offer interviews or statements regarding the events to Meridonian media outlets beyond authorized Defense Forces and State Department releases.
Whitegrove was transferred from her position in the Security Council in October upon request following a diplomatic re-alignment, and assigned as a staff officer at Air Sector Southeast. She was a passenger of a C14M Iolani demonstration flight aircraft that crashed onto Advent Island, an event that precipitated the Advent Island crisis. Whitegrove, injured and barely conscious, was held by composites on the island throughout the length of the five-day siege on the island and was released when she awoke and intervened in an attempt by Federal forces to storm the compound. Whitegrove was further instrumental in the signing of the Misanui Accords, which ended the crisis and established the Advent Special Administrative Area. Following the conclusion of the affair, President Yui Townley placed her as a federal liaison officer with the Executive Office of the President, where she currently serves.
Personal Life
Whitegrove personally resides in an apartment within Cordelia, however she has stated she frequently visits stays with family, both her younger sister and her parents, when time allows. Whitegrove makes a habit of visiting the Orofêt academy at least once every year. In a 2023 interview, she said that she enjoys baking and visiting cafes, as well as the occasional pleasure flight. Whitegrove owns a Lanceair Mustang general aviation aircraft hangered at a private airstrip north of Cordelia. Whitegrove is unmarried and has no children.
Honors and Awards
Promotions
| Insignia | Date of Rank |
|---|---|
 2nd Lieutenant |
10 June 2000 |
 Lieutenant |
20 November 2001 |
 Captain |
3 May 2005 |
 Major |
10 May 2009 |
 Lieutenant Colonel |
18 January 2013 |
 Colonel |
8 August 2014 |
 Air Commodore |
19 November 2021 |
| Air Lieutenant Commandant |
3 February 2023 |