Douglas grad promoted to Air Force colonel

Former Genoa resident and Douglas High graduate Aaron M. Prupas was promoted to colonel by Gen. David H. Petraeus on May 14 at a ceremony held at the U.S. Central Command Headquarters, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

Prupas graduated in 1985 from Douglas High School in Minden and received a bachelor's degree in 1990 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Prupas served on the general's staff as the deputy director, Commander's Initiatives Group. Family in attendance were the colonel's wife Amie, daughter Morgan, and, from Nevada, parents Norm and Audrey Prupas of Reno, sister Sheree and husband Stephen Tibbals, and uncle, Dr. Malin Prupas.

Prupas assumed command of the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., on June 16.

As commander, Prupas oversees the center's mission to operate and maintain the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System, which monitors foreign compliance with the treaties limiting nuclear testing.

The USAEDS is a global network of nuclear event detection sensors that record disturbances underground, underwater, in the atmosphere and in space.

He is a career intelligence officer and weapons instructor and has served in a variety of positions at the squadron, wing and combatant command levels.

Among his previous assignments were as commander, 19th Weapons Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base; Offutt Air Force Base, Neb; Cheyenne Mountain, Colo.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Italy, and Germany.