Plainfield South HS alumnus transferred from Air Force to Space Force

Michael Brian Hareld Jr. recently became the first full-time member of the U.S. Space Force on Arnold Air Force Base when he was transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the U.S. Space Force.

On April 24, Hareld earned his Master of Business Administration from University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota, with a 4.0 grade point average, according to his mother, Melissa Hareld of Crest Hill.

Michael is the oldest son of Mike Sr. and Melissa Hareld of Crest Hill and grandson of Lester and Carol Hareld (deceased) of Plainfield and James D. and Celia Roberts (both, now deceased) of Fort Worth, Texas. James retired from the Air Force, Melissa wrote.

Michael is a brother to Molly Champion, of Fort Worth, Texas; Matthew (Brittany) Hareld of Plainfield and Megan (Justin) Johnson of Joliet.

He is a graduate of Plainfield South High School.

After Michael completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas), he attended tech school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi Mississippi prior to his first deployment to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, Melissa wrote.

His next two assignments were spent in England, at RAF Mildenhall. she said. Michael also spent six months with a special assignment in Spain. He spent three years in Germany at Ramstein Air Base and then returned to the U.S. His first assignment, stateside, was in North Dakota, at Grand Forks Air Force Base, Melissa wrote.

In 2019, Michael applied for and was accepted to officers training school at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

“This was the largest class, to date, known as the Godzilla Class due to the record breaking size,” Melissa wrote.

Michel spent eight weeks participating in field training and classroom leadership exercises as part of his preparation to become an Air Force officer.

“When he graduated, as a second lieutenant, he was given his first salute by his great uncle, [Tommy] Wayne Fields,” Melissa wrote, adding Fields is a Vietnam veteran who retired after 30 years of serving in the Army.

Michael was then assigned to Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee.

His parents are thrilled with Michael’s latest appointment.

“My husband and I were there, as he took his oath for the Space Force. It was so incredible,” Melissa said in a text message. “Having been sworn in by the vice chief of space operations, (General Thompson) was like the cherry on the sundae, too.”