By MC2 Tom Tonthat

The Naval War College (NWC) Monterey program for Joint Professional Military Education held a brief ceremony in Halligan Hall for students earning academic honors during the fall quarter of Academic Year 2019, Jan. 29.

“We appreciate those who go above and beyond their commitments, as you have here at Naval Postgraduate School,” said Dr. Robert Tomlinson, NWC Monterey. “We thank you tremendously for putting out the great effort you did in class and for helping your other students become better because of what you put out there.”

U.S. Army Capt. Dale Aebischer credited the professionalism and expertise of the NWC professors in helping him graduate with distinction. He also said the peer learning aspect of the program was beneficial as it presented him a broader knowledge as well as the differing views of his classmates.

“Graduating with distinction is an honor for me personally because of the high-quality peers I went through the program with,” said Aebischer. “To be recognized out of that group is very special.”

Graduates earning ‘with Highest Distinction’ honors by completing the JPME program in the top five percent of the Fall class are Marine Corps Maj. Sean Barrett and Capt. Daniel Grant; Army Majs. Matthew Hopchak and Andrew Whitley; and Navy Cmdr. Jerremy Rorick.

Graduates earning ‘with Distinction’ honors by completing the JPME program in the top 15 percent of the Fall class are Army Capts. Dale Aebischer and Jeremy Coviello, and Army Majs. Jonathan Desouza and Jonathan Munson; Marine Corps Capts. Matthew Biesecker and Aaron Sayers, and Marine Corps Maj. Peter Rodriguez; Navy Lts. Daniel Blauwkamp, John Golden, Alexander Greene, Michael Hampton, Joshua Malia and Joshua Seagrave, and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Scott Tollefson.

Through the NPS-NWC partnership, a total of 5,172 officers have earned their Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I certification since the program’s inception in September 1999.