Local Marine pilot pinned with gold

Dana MacAloney pins Clayton's wings on at the graduation ceremony held at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla. on March 29.

United States Marine Corps. 1st Lt. Clayton C. MacAloney received the designation of Naval Flight Officer and was awarded the Wings of Gold, after having completed many months of intensive academic, military and airborne training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla.

MacAloney, a former Westminster resident, has been selected to fly in the F/A-18D Hornet and will continue his training at the Marine Air Corps Station in Miramar, Calif.

He is the son of Brenton and Denise MacAloney. His maternal grandparents are Norman (Ret. USAF) and Stella Baril and his paternal grandmother is Ann MacAloney, all of Westminster.

He is a 1996 graduate of Oakmont Regional High School and received his bachelor's degree from Bryant College in Rhode Island.

He served in Kuwait and Iraq with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces' 6th Motor Transportation Battalion between January and July of 2003.

In December 2004 he graduated from Officers' Candidate School in Quantico, Va.