Captain Jacob Vaughan was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1994. In 2009, his family relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he later attended the newly opened South Warren High School. A standout student-athlete, Vaughan 
competed in three varsity sports before graduating in 2013.
After earning an associate degree while playing baseball on scholarship at Southeastern Illinois College, Vaughan returned to Western Kentucky University to complete a bachelor’s degree in Criminology. Shortly after graduating in 2017, he enrolled in flight school in Bowling Green, where he earned his Private Pilot License.
Committed to a career in military aviation, Vaughan was recruited by the Oklahoma Air National Guard to train in one of the United States Air Force’s most respected fighter aircraft, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. He received his commission in 2018 through Total Force Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, graduating at the top of his class.
In 2019, Vaughan began Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, earning his wings in 2020. Remaining in Texas, he advanced through the Air Force’s Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course, where he was selected as Distinguished Graduate and received the Red River Valley Fighter Pilot Association Warrior Award.
Later that year, Vaughan attended the F-16 Basic Course at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, with the 8th Fighter Squadron. There, he refined his skills in air combat, surface attack, suppression of enemy air defenses, and formation flying. Demonstrating exceptional ability in the cockpit of the “Viper,” Vaughan earned 2021 Top Gun honors in both Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground warfare, along with the Top Graduate Award. He also received a second Red River Valley Fighter Pilot Association Warrior Award. In recognition of his achievements, Vaughan was presented the prestigious Francis “Gabby” Gabreski Award by the American Fighter Aces Association as the United States Air Force’s top B-Course graduate across all fighter aircraft.
Captain Vaughan returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the fall of 2021, serving as the Electronic Combat Pilot for the 125th Fighter Squadron. In 2023, he deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield. During the deployment, he flew 25 combat missions totaling 153.7 combat flight hours and was awarded both the Air Medal and the Aerial Achievement Medal.
Vaughan remained with the 125th Fighter Squadron until 2025, when he transferred to the 163rd Fighter Squadron to assist the Indiana Air National Guard in its transition from the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II to the F-16.
Today, Captain Vaughan serves as an F-16 Instructor Pilot with the 163rd Fighter Squadron of the Indiana Air National Guard. To date, he has logged more than 1,000 combined flight hours in the T-6, T-38, and F-16C, CM, and D aircraft.
