Operations Flight Commander & Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies

MAJOR BENJAMIN RABACK-SCHINK

Maj Benjamin R Raback-Schink is the Operations Flight Commander at AFROTC, Detachment 218 at Indiana State University. There he is responsible for professional and physical training of cadets as they learn to become officers in the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force. Additionally, he teaches academic lessons within the Aerospace Studies program.

The Major received his commission from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of North Dakota in 2012. He was stationed at Scott Air Force Base as a Senior Duty Officer for the 15th Operational Weather Squadron before moving to become the Weather Plans Division Chief at the 618th Air Operations Center. He completed the Squadron Officer School in 2016. After that he was became the Weather Fight Commander at the 7th Operational Support Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Prior to his current assignment Maj Raback-Schink was the OIC of Aviation Weather Operations at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Major Raback-Schink deployed in 2020 to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve as the Officer-in-Charge of Weather Operations. His responsibilities included overseeing a team of three Staff Weather Officers and at the Combined Joint Operations Center. While primarily focused on providing real time weather data to the operations floor and mission planners, these duties also included daily briefings to numerous general officers on a variety of environmental topics.

EDUCATION

2012 Bachelor of Science, Atmospheric Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND

2016 Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell AFB, AL

2019 Masters of Science, Space Studies, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND

ASSIGNMENTS

1. July 2012 – July 2014, Senior Duty Officer, 15th Weather Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, IL

2. July 2014 – September 2016, OIC, Weather Plans Division, 618 Air and Space Operations Center, Scott AFB, IL

3. September 2016-June 2019, Weather Flight Commander, 7th Operations Support Squadron, Dyess AFB, TX

4. June 2019-June 2021, OIC, Division Weather Operations, 3rd Combat Weather Squadron, Fort Riley, KS (March 2020-September 2020, OIC, Weather Operations, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)

5. June 2021-present, Operations Flight Commander, AFROTC Detachment 218, Indiana State University, IN.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Achievement Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

2015 Distinguished Graduate, Advanced Weather Exploitation and Integration Course