Thai pilot meets President Biden at graduation ceremony

Krittawata is among the 921 graduates of the academy this year. Only 12 of them are foreign nationals.

After his name was announced during the graduation ceremony, Krittawata waved the Thai flag before entering the stage to shake President Biden's hand.

The ceremony was concluded with The Thunderbirds, a well-known U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, performing an aerial salute to the graduates over Falcon Stadium in the state of Colorado, where the ceremony took place.

The 24-year-old Thai graduate earned a degree in Computer and Cyber Science from the academy.

He was a member of the school's glider pilot club and was chosen as the instructor to teach other junior students to fly glider planes.

Krittawata had also been selected to serve as Squadron 1 Commander and the Honour Officer when he was in his fourth year of study.

The Thai pilot graduate was able to enrol at the academy because it offered to take one student a year from the Royal Thai Air Force.

Several prominent military leaders in the US have graduated from the academy, including United States Air Force General Charles Quinton Brown.