WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- For Senior Airman Jared Eugene Wyaco, resilience is not just a military core competency, but a family inheritance spanning generations.
Born and raised in the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico, Wyaco belongs to the Dogwood and Child of Corn clans of the Zuni people. Raised by his mother, Tammy Wyaco, and his late grandmother, Florine Beyuka, he grew up surrounded by stories of his family’s history of service, sacrifice, and survival under insurmountable odds.
Now serving with the 342nd Training Squadron, Wyaco shares his family’s historical ties to World War II to remind fellow Airmen that endurance is rooted in remembering who and what they serve for.
"Resilience comes in many shapes and sizes," said Wyaco. "What helps me stay resilient, and what may help others, is asking the question: Who are you resilient for?"
Wyaco’s military lineage traces back to two brothers from the Zuni Pueblo who served in the U.S. Army during World War II: his late great-granduncle, Sgt. Eugene Beyuka Jr., and his late great-grandfather, Staff Sgt. Edward Beyuka.
Eugene enlisted in the Army on Feb. 23, 1942. Serving with the 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, he was killed in action during operations in the Marshall Islands on Feb. 4, 1944, at age 25. He is laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Connecting them, Wyaco carries his uncle's name as his own middle name.
Edward Beyuka, who enlisted in the 31st Infantry Regiment, faced a harrowing trial in the Pacific theater. Captured following the fall of the Philippines, he survived the Bataan Death March, endured three years as a prisoner of war at Bilibid Prison in Manila, survived solitary confinement, and escaped into the jungle before being recaptured. He subsisted on whatever provisions were available, including native wildlife and cavalry mounts.
Liberated on Feb. 22, 1945, during the American reconquest of Luzon, Edward described his experience with characteristic understatement as "plenty tough." After receiving medical treatment at Bruns General Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he reenlisted in 1946. He later served his community as the Zuni Hotshots Fire Chief in 1957, protecting tribal and federal lands across the Southwest, and earned national recognition as a master silversmith.
"My great-grandfather survived insurmountable odds and lived to tell the tale," said Wyaco. "The motto of SERE is to 'Return with Honor.' He did exactly that."
When Wyaco initially considered joining the Army, his grandmother Florine, mindful of the heavy toll World War II took on her father and uncle, steered him in a different direction.
Respecting her guidance, Wyaco completed four years of study at the University of New Mexico’s Gallup/Zuni Branch. Still feeling the call to serve, Wyaco enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he served as an Aerospace Physiology instructor at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
Then, devastation hit his family. When his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, Wyaco chose to step away from active service at the end of his enlistment to prioritize time with family alongside his fiancée, Angelena. Florine passed away in 2021, shortly after learning she would become a great-grandmother.
Determined to complete his military calling, Wyaco worked through a yearlong reentry process involving four recruiters to return to active duty in 2024. He arrived with his wife, Angelena, and daughter, Aurora, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to join the 342nd TRS. He makes one thing clear: find those you are resilient for. Wyaco is resilient for the Wyaco family, Yazzie family, Thompson family, Vance AFB family, 342d TRS family, and above all, his wife and daughter.
In addition to his primary duties, Wyaco serves as a unit peer support volunteer for the 342nd TRS. He uses his background and life experiences to normalize seeking help and breaking stigmas surrounding mental health.
"My training revolves around the fact that it is okay to not be okay," said Wyaco. "Whatever help someone needs, there is support available. People must be willing to ask and see it through. Seedlings don't stay seedlings forever."
Selected for promotion to Staff Sergeant, Wyaco is slated to pin on the rank in late fall 2026.
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