We have all heard of a “wow” moment, but Charlotte , NC , business executive John Dail actually experienced one when he stepped off of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, KC-135 tanker plane at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida .
He was part of an “Operation Boss-Lift” sponsored by the North Carolina Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and an adventure he will not soon forget.
The air is heavy and there is no doubt that water is near when you take your first breath coming down the stairs of the tanker. The flight had just been an experience in itself from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro , North Carolina to the gulf coast of Florida . But, the salt smell in the air and the sound of seagulls in the distance, tells you that you are now on Navy property!
In the past, the flags of Spain , France , Great Britain , the Confederacy and the United States have flown over the strategic port of Pensacola . Realizing the advantages of the Pensacola harbor and the large timber reserves nearby for shipbuilding, President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of the Navy Samuel Southard, in 1825, made arrangements to build a Navy yard on the southern tip of Escambia County , where the air station is today.
It is best known as the primary training base for all Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators and Naval Flight Officers, and the home base for the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the precision-flying team known as the Blue Angels who live and practice air shows on the base from March through November.
The flight base was created just before World War I and began training flying officers. During WWII, NAS Pensacola once again became the hub of air activities, training 1,100 flight cadets a month.
The trip to observe first hand our Navy Reservist and regulars in training also included a few minutes to see the National Naval Aviation Museum , one of the world’s largest aviation museums. Located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, it boasts more than 150 restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation.
One inspiring exhibit honors our Navy POW’s from Vietnam . On August 5, 1964, the aircraft carriers Constellation (CVA 64) and Ticonderoga (CVA 14) launched the first air strikes against North Vietnam . Among the pilots participating in the mission was Lieutenant (junior grade) Everett Alvarez, whose A-4 Skyhawk was hit, forcing him to eject. Captured by the enemy, he became the first naval aviator taken prisoner in North Vietnam . As the air war intensified, more airmen became prisoners, including US Senator and presidential candidate John McCain. The flyers endured miserable living conditions and resisted sadistic torture employed against them by the North Vietnamese in attempts to gain confessions of war crimes or break their spirit. The American POW experience in Southeast Asia lasted until 1973, when 591 individuals returned home as part of Operation Homecoming.
“I am not a veteran of military service,” said Dail, “and had very little knowledge of the National Guard and Reserve Forces, especially in their involvement around the world!” “But, you can bet I now realize the extent and depth of involvement our Guard and Reserves have on the over-all picture of defending our nation.” “We don’t realize our neighbors and co-workers deploy to active duty for such long periods of time also,” he added. Dail, who runs an employee benefits company said he would not hesitate to hire someone in the reserves, knowing their commitment to duty and their level of training.
“Wow!” said Dail, as they stood next to the indoor water survival training pool watching aviators learn to escape from crashed helicopters, airplanes and from parachute drops into the ocean.
Also, along on the trip was Steve Sons, Director of Human Resources for GlaxoSmithKline Drugs in Research Triangle Park , North Carolina . Steve was introduced to ESGR by NC Committee member Ken Oppenheim who contacted him about participating in a certificate presentation and signing ceremony for his company. After hearing that Sons was a Vietnam veteran of the early 70’s who served with the Army Security Agency in Bien Hoa, he invited him on the trip to Florida .
“I think ESGR is a great program for our military,” said the drug company executive, “Being a veteran, I understand the Guard and Reserve forces but many people do not appreciate what they bring to our country when not in the work place.” Sons said he wants the co-workers to realize that reservist are not having fun when they deploy for training or real-world military missions and when they do he gets no complaints about doubling up work if necessary to support their friends in uniform. “When we hire members of the Guard and Reserves we bring better leaders and communicator into our company,” Sons said, “We have no doubt that hiring these citizen solders is a worthwhile investment of our time,” “I know this trip was a Navy theme, but, even talking with the Air Force Reserve crews on the flight down and back, I found motivated and engaged young people”, he said.
The mid-April “boss-lift” was scheduled with the assistance of the 916th Air Refueling
Wing an Air Force Reserve Command, and the Base Public Affairs Office of Naval Air Station, Pensacola , Florida .
A special highlight of the trip for Sons was the tanking of two F-15 fighter jets from Seymour Johnson on the way back home to Charlotte then Goldsboro , NC . “I got some great photos too! Wow!,” he said.