Prologue

After spending the better part of ten years flying several types of US Army helicopters I ended up in the US Air Force by what I used to call an accident.  I also used to tell people that I had won the Lottery!  For those of you who have spent any time in the Army you can relate because you cannot compare the Army way of life to that of the Air Force.  Every day in the Air Force was like Christmas.

I received my commission on June 9^th, 1984 through the reserve officer training corp program otherwise known as ROTC at the University of Washington.  Upon graduation I was a brand new Second Lieutenant assigned to the 361^st PSYOP Company at Fort Lawton, Washington.  Because of my experience and recent degree in fine art I was given charge of GA Platoon which is graphic arts platoon of a psychological operations company.  Where I spend almost a year waiting for my pilot slot while creating propaganda leaflets that would be later delivered by aerial means through artillery shells or aircraft behind enemy lines only during brigade training exercises.

After earning my US Army Aviator Wings at Undergraduate Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama the following year I reported for duty at Gray Army Airfield, Fort Lewis, Washington where I was assigned to Aviation Detachment 3, HHC (-) 81^st Separate Infantry Brigade.  From there I would soon transfer to my dream job, Platoon Leader, Attack Helicopter Troop, 116^th Armored Cavalry.  Dream job because I was now at the controls of the AH-1F Cobra Attack Helicopter.  Flying the Cobra was the only reason I had joined the Army and not the Air Force back in 1982.  Since I was a child I had always wanted to fly the Cobra, and now was my chance.  I rapidly progressed through the program and would later become an AH-1F Maintenance Test Pilot and Maintenance Officer.  Over the years I also learn to fly the OH-58A Kiowa and the UH-60A/L Blackhawks.

It was during the Blackhawk course at Fort Rucker, Alabama that I was first made aware of the rumors floating around our unit that we were not going to convert from the Cobra to the Apache after all.  At that time the US Army was in the process of converting all attack helicopter units from the Vietnam era Cobra and Huey to the modern state of the art Apache and Blackhawk.  It was Friday night, March 5^th, 1993 and were all celebrating as a unit at the officers club after recently graduating from various flying and maintenance courses for some, others still had weeks of training to attend at Fort Rucker when we received the word that we were all ordered to return to Fort Lewis immediately.  What? Why?  The government would not waste all of this training? As the evening progressed the alcohol persuaded dialogues continued concentrate on this one subject all night.  I was particularly distressed that night had I chosen poorly?  Should I have taken the Apache course first then the Blackhawk?  I was so looking forward to flying the Apache and I thought I had plenty of time to convert later.  Turns out having been selected to fly the Blackhawk first was the best decision.

Upon our return to Gray Army Airfield we noticed that some of the aircraft had already been shipped away to foreign military sales and others were sitting on the flight line covered in white shrink wrap awaiting transportation.  The air was filled with nervous anticipation as we waited in formation for the formal news.  The denial continued, this cannot be true we all thought, well we all thought wrong!  The hanger came to attention as the commander entered the large expanse and soon made the official announcement we had been waiting for; the battalion had been cut from the Apache program but the unit would not be de-activeated.  Instead plans were the unit would again go through transition this time we would convert from an attack helicopter unit into a heavy lift or transportation unit.  The CH-47 Chinook is a twin engine, tandem rotor heavy lift helicopter that can pick up massive loads and transport them all over the battlefield.   So what!  I do not want fly something that can have a midair with it’s self.

Five days later I was flying a Kiowa on a training sortie out to Ocean Shores and back.  My copilot CW2 Chip J. Twombly said; “You are a Blackhawk pilot now.”  “So what,” I responded.  “You did graduate right?” “Yes I did graduate and I must admit I sure enjoyed flying the Blackhawk.  The only problem is you do not see any Blackhawks on our ramp do you?” I replied.  No, but the Air Force has some Blackhawks just a couple of hours south of here in Portland.  I think it is a reserve unit.  If you do not want to fly the Chinook you should give them a call before you find yourself out of a job.” Chip argued.  The Air Force has helicopters?  What the heck do they do with them I wondered?  I thought they only flew airplanes.  The next day I gave them a call expecting them to say we are not interested in any Army pilots.  When I mentioned that I was a newly qualified Blackhawk pilot and a commissioned officer well the rest is history.  I was hired and my lateral transition package from the Army to the Air Force was started 303 days later it was complete.  I now know there are no such things as accidents.  God has a plan for all of us.

My last effective date in the Army was Friday, January 7^th, 1994 and my first effective date in the Air Force was the following day, no break in service.  My first order of business was to officially sign into the 304^th Rescue Squadron Monday morning.  The squadron was co-located with the 123^rd Fighter Squadron on an Air National Guard Base across the runway from the Portland International Airport in Oregon.  The 123^rd also known as the RedHawks fly the F-15C Eagle.

Besides learning how to wear a squadron scarf and placing the equally bright colored patches on the correct shoulders, I needed to get myself into the next available training class at Kirtland Air Force Base?  Located in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, it is home to the 58^th Special Operations Wing which has the mission to train mission ready special operations, combat search and rescue and missile site support forces.  At that time they instructed students in the MC-130P Combat Shadow, HC-130P/N King, UH-1N Huey, the MH/HH-60G Pave Hawk, and Pararecue.

The US Air Force prerequisites to become a helicopter pilot are much different from those of the US Army.  Besides the normal graduate level academics and flight training required to transition from the UH-60L Blackhawk to the HH-60G Pave Hawk there were a multitude of other courses I had to attend.  They include but are not limited to the S-V90-A water survival course and dreaded S-V80-A land survival course also known as the prisoner of war camp training.  Both of these courses are located at Fairchild Air Force Base just outside of Spokane, Washington.   But, the course that truly scared me the most was not the prisoner of war camp that everyone tends to worry about, for me it was the 9D5 under water egress trainer or otherwise known as “The Dunker.”  Located at Miramar Naval Air Station in California the 9D5 was also referred to by many as “Panic In A Can.”  And panic it caused even the best swimmers.  The reason it scared me in particular was I still did not know how to swim at the time.  So upon discovering there was no way around this requirement I immediately signed up for swimming lessons at the local YMCA in Vancouver.  You should have seen the look on my swim instructor’s face when I told him that the only swimming skills I needed to learn were to how dive to the bottom of the deepest pool they have, stay there and turn myself upside down and hold my breath in this inverted position for a count of ten, and return to the surface and tread water for two minutes.  With a very puzzled look he asked “What, Why?” My response was simple; “Why, because I want to be a pilot in the United States Air Force that why.”

My story begins on a warm Friday evening in July of 1994.  I had decided to stay late after work and I was ready to call it a day when a call came over the squadron’s intercom system; “Attention in the building.  Attention in the building, all available helicopter aircrew members report to the operations desk immediately! – I repeat all available helicopter aircrew members report to the operations desk immediately!”  It is every rescue pilots dream come true – a real rescue mission!