Living Like Rowdy.

1st Lieutenant Scot Ames Jr. “Rowdy” aspired to become a pilot from a young age. He received his private pilot’s license in 2014 as a senior in high school and told his mother, “I am going to fly a fighter jet someday.” When he died, Scot was on his way to accomplishing that dream.

Scot attended Indiana State University (2014 to 2018) where he was a leader for the ROTC program as the 218th Cadet Wing Commander and a Cadet Training Assistant (CTA) during the summer before his senior year. The day he received his USAF pilot slot would go down in history as one of the best days of his life.

After graduation, Scot traveled to Mississippi to complete Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) at Columbus AFB. After training in the T-6 Texan II, he was thrilled to learn he would move on to fly the T-38 Talon… one step closer to his fighter jet dream.

Scot excelled through training and soon after learned his first assignment as a USAF pilot would be spent as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP). He would spend the next few years instructing T-38 students in Mississippi at the same base where he earned his wings. During his time as an instructor, he brought motivation, knowledge, and joy to his colleagues and was often the favorite of his students.

Outside of flying, Scot enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, playing sports, hiking, and shooting guns and bows. Scot touched countless lives and will be remembered most by his "beautiful" mustache, positive attitude, infectious smile and laugh, "good-lookin' truck", and his ability to live life to the fullest each and every day.

Scot will be forever missed and loved by the ones he left behind, but Scot would want us all to "search every day for something that burns that fire in your chest to wake up every morning running faster, pushing farther, and working harder than the day prior."

The way Scot lived his life was an inspiration to all of us. After his passing, Live Like Rowdy has become more than just a catchphrase—It’s a way of living, being truly grateful, and loving and embracing those around you. We say it and wear it proudly, and hope you will too.