Photo By Staff Sgt. Ryan Tatum | Master Sgt. Dean DeGenaro was surrounded by loved ones and Company B, 2nd Battalion,...... read more read more
The sun rose, in vibrant orange and red hues. The winds were low and the pillow like clouds filled the sky which set the perfect conditions for a CH-47 Chinook to fly.
After completing over 25 years of dedicating his mind, body, and spirit to the Army and the American people, Master Sgt. Dean DeGenaro, took his final flight as a crew chief for Company B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, on a CH-47 Chinook Sept. 11, at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
The final flight is a tradition held in Aviation to honor the pilots and crew chiefs, which signifies the end of their Army career.
From growing up in San Diego, DeGenaro a California native, knew exactly what he wanted to at an early age.
“I joined the U.S. Army February 1994,” said DeGenaro. “I knew Aviation was the only thing I wanted to do. It was the comradery that really got me.”
DeGenaro a rugged person showed his emotions when he began to talk about his retirement.
“Leaving the Army is very surreal,” said DeGenaro. “I am leaving something has been my life and know that it is something that I will never do again, it feels like your burying a loved one.”
DeGenaro recalled many good memories both personal and professional moment he had in the Army.
“Personally, watching young crew members, Soldiers, grow into positions of greater responsibility and to know you had a hand in their education and mentorship,” said DeGenaro. “Mechanically, breaking down a helicopter to its hull and rebuilding it in seven hours to see it fly away with your combat arms bothers was remarkable.”
DeGenaro was skilled and knowledgeable about his job not once did he second guess the labor he put in to keep the pilots and passengers safe in his Chinook, he said.
DeGenaro went on many missions in his career and one of his toughest moment was during Operation Red Wing were he lost half his company.
“I lost some of the closest people to me on that mission,” said DeGenaro. “A total of 22 people, some of them we grew up in the ranks together. We even lost the first sergeant and commander.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Brandon Roush, the senior advisor for 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Regiment, 3rd CAB, spoke about DeGenaro character of.
“This man is truly one in a million, there will never be another like him,” said Roush. “Things you would not know about him is the amount of pain he would be in. You would never know because he is not the type to complain. He just gets the job done.
Roush has known DeGenaro for over a decade and he knows why DeGenaro has lasted so long.
“He stayed strong because he is truly dedicated to his family,” said Roush. “Together they have stayed strong in their faith.”
DeGenaro was surrounded by friends and loved ones Sept. 11, from both 3rd CAB and Special Operations.
With the sun setting on DeGenaro’s back and he walked away from the CH-47 Chinook after his final flight DeGenaro officially closed the book of his Army career.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2019 16:12 |
| Story ID: | 306819 |
| Location: | HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 413 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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