COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the wall in Ted Carter’s office is a framed picture of two fighter jets in mid-flight against a blue sky. “I’m in one of those,” he says.
No university president in the country can claim the exploits of Ohio State’s leader.
In 38 years of active military service, Carter, 65, logged more than 6,300 flying hours, flew 125 combat missions, received more than two dozen awards and retired in 2019 as Vice Admiral, the third-highest rank of the 25 positions in the U.S. Navy.
Given the life-saving missions and life-risking aerial shows of his military career, his next great assignment seems to pale in comparison.