LtCol Andrew J Zetts is a native of Boardman, Ohio from where he was recruited to play football for the United States Naval Academy. After earning 3 letters as a Defensive Tackle and graduating with a ridiculously high GPA for a football player and earning a Bachelor's of Science in Economics, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy with a ticket to flight school. While in flight training he capitalized on an opportunity to inter-service transfer to the United States Marine Corps and fulfill his air contract as a First Lieutenant. After being designated a Naval Aviator, Lieutenant Zetts was awarded F/A-18 Hornets at the completion of pilot training in December 2005. After flight training he completed The Basic School for Marine Corps Officers in Quantico, Virginia and immediately set out to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar for Fleet Replacement training. He completed Fleet Replacement training in July 2007 and joined the Red Devils at Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232.
At VMFA-232, Captain Zetts served in a variety of leadership billets and deployed both to the Western Pacific aboard USS NIMITZ with Carrier Air Wing Eleven and to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in support of the RC-Southwest Area of Operations. Captain Zetts was awarded the Air Medal with numeral 4 during this deployment for providing direct fires and Close Air Support to United States and Coalition forces engaged in combat in Operation Enduring Freedom. As a Red Devil he earned his Combat Section Lead and Combat Division Lead qualifications.
In 2011, Captain Zetts then served as Deputy Director and Fixed Wing Advisor to C2 development and acquisitions at Marine Air Command and Control Squadron - Experiment, Operational Development Team (MACCS-X ODT) at Camp Pendleton, CA. Captain Zetts was involved in development and testing of 2 multi-billion dollar acquisitions, the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) and G/ATOR Radar systems which both continue to be revolutionary warfighting assets that are deployed worldwide. Captain Zetts also participated in multiple Weapons and Tactics Instructor Courses and completed the ACE Battle Staff Officer's Course during WTI.
Captain Zetts promoted to Major in 2014 during his next tour at Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323 at MCAS Miramar, CA. While attached a second time to Carrier Air Wing Eleven onboard USS NIMITZ, he deployed for over 10months to the Fifth Fleet Area of Operations, once again providing Close Air Support to U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and participated in deterrence exercises while tensions escalated in Syria. Major Zetts earned both his Centurion award for 100 traps aboard USS NIMITZ and his Mission Commander qualification while on deployment. Upon returning he attended the Marine Air Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, earning his WTI certificate and assuming duties as Pilot Training Officer for VMFA-323. In 2015, he deployed again to the Western Pacific Area of Operations and was involved in a multitude of bilateral theater cooperation exercises.
In 2016, Major Zetts then simultaneously served as 3d Marine Aircraft Wing (3DMAW) F/A-18A-D representative at the Marine Aviation Training Support Site (MATSS), Marine Air Group (MAG) Eleven Weapons and Tactics Instructor, MAG-11 Flight Lead Standardization Evaluator, and 3DMAW F-35 Site Transition Team coordinator. While balancing these 3 separate primary duties he was asked to fill a vacancy as Pilot Training Officer at VMFA-232. Major Zetts guided the pilot cadre at VMFA-232 through Red Flag Alaska and deployment workups into early 2017. In 2017 Major Zetts transferred to serve as Operations Officer at Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101. In late 2019 Major Zetts ended his Active Duty service obligation and joined the Squadron Augmentation Unit (SAU) at VMFAT-101. He promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and supported the pilot production mission as a dedicated Select Marine Corps Reservist.
After leaving Active Duty, LtCol Zetts was hired by United Parcel Service (UPS) Airlines, where he currently serves as a First Officer flying the Boeing 757 and 767, based out of Louisville, Kentucky. He also works part time as an F/A-18 Contract Instructor Pilot for Valiant Integrated Services. He has accumulated more than 3,000 total flight hours and more than 2,200 in the F/A-18A-D.