COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A member of the Colorado Army Reserve who was once expelled from the Air Force Academy just hours before graduation was recently promoted to captain.

It’s a move he feels is a major victory as he continues his fight with the Air Force, he told Denver7 Investigates.

Last month, Adam DeRito took his oath as a captain in the Colorado Army Reserve on the campus of the Air Force Academy, which in 2010 told him he would not graduate from the academy just hours before the ceremony while his family sat in the stadium stands.

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The order of his promotion was approved by President Donald Trump, which DeRito said adds credibility to his still-unresolved conflict.

“This is a huge deal,” DeRito said on the day of his promotion. “Today is a huge day of vindication.”

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