HILL AIR FORCE BASE — It’s safe to say Michael Ebner has had a rather prestigious career as a fighter pilot.

The now-retired Air Force colonel was commissioned as an officer in 1997, after graduating from the Air Force Reserve Officers Training program at Marquette University in Wisconsin.

He was a distinguished graduate at a specialized undergraduate pilot training program prior to attending basic training on the F-15E. Ebner has flown more than 2,500 hours on multiple aircraft, including 263 hours in combat. He was an instructor pilot and one of the first 10 pilots in the Air Force to fly the F-35A. He served in Middle East combat operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

“We know a lot of mutual friends, and everybody holds (him) in the highest esteem,” said Ebner’s longtime friend and colleague, retired Col. Lee Kloos.

Ebner officially retired as vice commander of Hill Air Force Base’s 388th Fighter Wing recently, but when talking about his leadership tenure at Hill, he’s quick to deflect praise to the men and woman who served under him.

According to an Air Force fact sheet, the 388th’s mission is to “maintain combat readiness to deploy, employ, and sustain F-35s worldwide, in order to fly, fight and win any conflict.”

As vice commander of the wing, Ebner was responsible for the readiness, training, morale and welfare of 2,000 personnel who maintain and operate the F-35. He also provided operational oversight for the nearly 450 reserve maintainers and operators in Hill’s 419th Fighter Wing and was responsible for the Utah Test and Training Range, the 3.2-million-acre military training ground in Utah’s west desert.

During Ebner’s tenure, the 388th served multiple combat deployments, including several in the Middle East. Parts of the wing are currently deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, supporting the U.S. Air Force Central Command mission in the region. The outfit performs close air support missions and supplies air and maritime escorts for other U.S. military groups.

Ebner said it’s the airmen and the work they’ve done that make him most proud when he reflects on his time in the service.

“I love that they’re completely dedicated to their craft, whether it’s flying $90 million fighters or fixing them, or leading people who maintain them,” he said. “I love knowing that there are other people, like me, who believe in something bigger than themselves … and ultimately they are willing to sacrifice their lives when called upon.”

Ebner said he loves the Air Force with all of his heart, but noted that it was time to move on and said he plans to spend more time with his family.

The retired colonel told a story of a painful discussion he once had with his daughter before leaving on a year-long deployment to Saudi Arabia. With tears flowing down her cheeks, Ebner’s daughter asked why he had to leave for a full year. Ebner told the young girl about the Air Force’s core value of “service before self.”

His daughter responded, “Dad, if that’s where the Air Force needs you to go, then you should go.”

“That’s why I’m retiring — my priorities are at odds with the Air Force,” he said. “I really don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to miss a year’s worth of soccer games any more. (But) it’s hard to leave all this. There’s nothing like it.”