Hometown hero retires after 21 years of service

By Marilyn Hatley

On August 1, 2025, Lieutenant Colonel Braden M. Coleman officially retired from the United States Air Force, concluding a remarkable 21-year career that spanned continents, aircraft, and missions of global consequence. From his childhood in North Myrtle Beach to his final flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan, Braden’s journey has been defined by service, sacrifice, and steadfast leadership.

Braden moved to North Myrtle Beach at the age of four when his father, Peter Coleman, became the city’s first ever city attorney—a role that marked the beginning of a family legacy in public service. Alongside his mother, Pamela, Peter helped instill in Braden a deep appreciation for civic responsibility and community involvement. Braden attended Risen Christ Lutheran School, North Myrtle Beach Middle School, and graduated from North Myrtle Beach High School in 1997. Known for his quick wit and infectious humor, he was a charismatic and well-loved student who never missed a chance to make others smile.

After high school, Braden pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. But his passion for storytelling soon gave way to a higher calling. The events of September 11, 2001, deeply impacted him during his college years, stirring a sense of urgency and purpose that ultimately led him to military service. In May 2004, he earned his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Cornell University, trading headlines for flight plans and cockpit checklists. He completed Joint-Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, earning his wings in June 2006. Thus began a flying career that would span 19 years, multiple aircraft, and countless missions across the globe.

His operational assignments included piloting the C-17A at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Joint Base Charleston. He deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Freedom’s Sentinel, Resolute Support, Inherent Resolve, and Allies Refuge—flying troops, supplies, and hope into some of the world’s most volatile regions. As a Special Airlift aircraft commander, Braden led politically sensitive embassy-support missions, navigating complex diplomatic terrain with precision and discretion. He also served as a SUPT instructor pilot in the T-1A at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, where he trained future Air Force pilots in instrument procedures and crew resource management.

In 2010, Braden was selected as initial cadre for the MC-12W squadron at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, during the height of the U.S. troop surge. Flying the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, he logged over 500 combat hours, providing critical support to ground operations and intelligence missions. His role in the surge placed him at the heart of one of the most intense phases of the war, a position that would come full circle more than a decade later.

In 2015, Braden stepped into a strategic role as a Foreign Area Officer specializing in South Asia, marking a new chapter in his military career. He spent more than a year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he became fluent in Urdu—the official language of Pakistan—while sharpening his cross-cultural expertise. In 2017, he embarked on a cultural immersion tour across South Asia, including a trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. During that trip, Braden witnessed a plane crash at Nepal’s notoriously dangerous Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla. Drawing on his military training and language skills, he rushed to the scene, helped coordinate rescue efforts, retrieved emergency equipment, and assisted in extracting a trapped co-pilot from the wreckage—all while managing crowd control and communicating with locals in Nepali, Urdu, and Hindi. The experience, which he later described as “surreal,” underscored the real-world value of his training and his instinctive commitment to helping others in moments of danger.

Following that experience, Braden was appointed Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from 2018 to 2020. There, he represented American defense strategy in West Africa, building military partnerships and supporting regional stability initiatives. His diplomatic acumen and cultural fluency earned him respect across international defense circles.

In 2021, Braden returned to flying as the operations officer for the Air Force’s only deployed C-17A squadron, where his leadership played a vital role in the U.S. President-directed Afghanistan retrograde—a rapid and complex operation that closed seven bases in just two months. He was also instrumental in planning and executing the largest noncombatant evacuation airlift in history, which resulted in the safe withdrawal of over 124,000 American, coalition, and Afghan citizens from Kabul. In a moment that marked the end of a two-decade conflict, Braden flew as part of the Joint Tactical Exfiltration aboard the final five-ship C-17A formation to depart Afghanistan, officially concluding the 20-year war.

Having served in Afghanistan during both the 2010 surge and the 2021 retrograde, Braden’s career uniquely bookends the American military’s longest war. Motivated to serve by the events of September 11, 2001, he entered the Air Force with a deep sense of purpose and patriotism. His presence at both the escalation and the final exit of U.S. and allied forces underscores a legacy of continuity, resilience, and leadership under pressure.

Throughout his career, Braden flew more than 3,300 hours—including over 1,100 in combat—and earned numerous decorations for his service and valor. His honors include 11 Air Medals, a Bronze Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross with a combat device—one of the Air Force’s highest awards for heroism in flight. These accolades, along with a long list of additional ribbons, decorations and commendations, reflect the depth of his commitment and the lasting impact of his contributions.

Now, as he transitions into civilian life, Braden carries with him the gratitude of a nation and the pride of a hometown that watched him grow from a curious student into a decorated officer. His career has been defined by versatility, valor, and vision—from combat missions to diplomatic strategy, from training pilots to orchestrating historic evacuations, and even rescuing a crash victim on the side of a Himalayan cliff.

Congratulations Lt. Col. Braden M. Coleman on your retirement! Your legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. I am proud to say North Myrtle Beach is the home of Braden Coleman.