Before the spacewalks came the work of a military aviator. Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. built his career in combat rescue, special operations and flight testing before becoming familiar to many Americans as a NASA astronaut. This Veterans Day tribute honors that record of service—and the Sigma brother behind the public portrait.
An Air Force career, not an honorary title
Drew entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant in May 1984 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He earned his helicopter wings in 1985 and began in combat rescue. His subsequent special-operations assignments included combat missions over Panama, the Persian Gulf and northern Iraq. He later trained in fixed-wing aircraft and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1994. Attendance at that school did not make him a Navy veteran: his military branch was the Air Force. NASA’s detailed astronaut biography records his retirement as an Air Force colonel in September 2010, after more than 25 years of service.
Read the official service biography.
Scholarship and service, carried into space
Phi Beta Sigma’s national organization identifies Drew as a brother in its own public tribute. That fraternity record establishes membership; NASA’s military biography establishes his service. The two should not be confused. Astronaut status alone is not proof that someone served in the armed forces. Drew flew on STS-118 in 2007 and STS-133 in 2011. NASA records more than 612 hours in space across those flights. The official portrait shown here was taken in 2007; it is an archival photograph, not a new Veterans Day appearance.
Fraternity source confirming membership.
What we carry forward
A rescue pilot’s work offers a powerful way to think about service: preparation matters because another person may someday depend on it. That is an interpretation of the career, not a quotation from Drew. For students looking toward aviation or engineering, the path is equally instructive. The visible achievement rests on years of study, training and responsibility. Honoring that work means recognizing the teams who make a mission possible, not only the person whose name appears beside a photograph.
Thank you to the veterans in our own communities
This profile is one name in a much larger story. To Phi Beta Sigma veterans whose service is known mainly to family, friends and fellow members: your contribution does not need a public title to deserve recognition. Officers and enlisted personnel, people who served in combat and people who did not, all belong in a thoughtful expression of gratitude.
For a chapter marking November 11, a respectful beginning can be simple: invite veterans to share only what they wish, ask permission before publishing a photograph or story, and listen without assuming what their service meant to them. Let appreciation continue after the ceremony.
Questions about this tribute
Is Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. a verified Phi Beta Sigma member and veteran?
Yes. The linked national fraternity source documents membership, while the government biography independently documents Air Force service. Neither claim is inferred from the other.
Are these new photographs?
No. These are two editorial layouts using the same credited archival portrait. They do not depict a new 2026 event.
Is this a complete list of the fraternity’s veterans?
No. It is a focused, source-backed profile, not a ranking or exhaustive roster.
Continue the tribute series
Read yesterday’s tributes to Alpha Phi Alpha’s Samuel Gravely and Charles McGee and Kappa Alpha Psi’s Daniel James Jr. and Dennis Via. Separate Omega Psi Phi and Delta Sigma Theta tributes are planned for Tuesday, November 10, followed by a collective Veterans Day tribute on Wednesday, November 11. Those future installments are not yet linked as published articles.
Independent editorial disclosure: FraternityRings.com is a retailer and independent publisher. This tribute is not an official fraternity or government statement, and it is not an endorsement by the subject, the fraternity, NASA, Congress or any military service. Historical photographs are used for identification and editorial reporting. Product images and links are separate retail content. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
