Captain Appezzato hails from Alameda, CA. He earned degrees in both History and Spanish Literature from the University of Notre Dame, where he was commissioned through the NROTC program in 2000.
Captain Appezzato earned his wings as a Naval Flight Officer in 2002. Subsequently assigned to VFA-41 in Lemoore, CA, he made two deployments in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, including the F/A-18F’s inaugural combat cruise, onboard USS NIMITZ (CVN 68).
In 2006, he was selected for training at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, remaining on the staff as a TOPGUN Instructor. Returning to the Fleet in 2009, he made combat deployments with VFA-22 (YCBAR) and VFA-154 (BKR!) in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and NEW DAWN. Captain Appezzato held command-at-sea at VFA-41, where he led the BLACK ACES on an around-the-world combat cruise in 2018-19 onboard USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74), supporting Operations FREEDOM’S SENTINEL and INHERENT RESOLVE. In 2020, he checked onboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) as the Air Officer.
In addition to TOPGUN, Captain Appezzato’s shore tours include Navy Personnel Command as a VFA detailer and the Naval War College, where he earned a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies.
Captain Appezzato’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (2), Strike/Flight Air Medal (3), Navy Commendation Medal (4) and various unit, campaign and service medals. He has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours and 857 arrested landings in the F/A-18F, including 103 combat missions.
Last Updated: 2 March 2023