Col. Don Henry, air power expert, retires after remarkable career

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bethany Rizor | Col. Bryan Teff, 110th Attack Wing Commander, thanks Col. Don Henry, 217th Air Operations Group Commander for his dedicated service to the U.S. Air Force, Michigan Air National Guard, 110th Attack Wing following his retirement ceremony on October 13, 2018.  

BATTLE CREEK, MI, UNITED STATES

11.16.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Bethany Rizor 

110th Wing

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – Col. Don Henry has been many things during his 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force and Michigan Air National Guard. Influential in both the evolution of the A-10 “Warthog” Thunderbolt II fighter jet, and the genesis of the 217th Air Operations Group’s relationship with U.S. Air Forces Europe, and U.S. African Command, Henry closes out his story of service on December 1, 2018.

Henry’s passion for flying began at a young age. He cultivated his passion into a college degree that led him to become a civilian instructor pilot. While employed after college he attended an air show and saw the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform, inspiring him to seek a career as a military pilot. Henry’s background in aviation increased his chances of fulfilling his dreams. The fact that the Air Force recruiter always picked up the phone when Henry called confirmed his decision to join the Air Force over the Navy.

In 1988, he commissioned from Officer Training School and began his career as an A-10 pilot. As a Second Lieutenant, Henry was deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm as part of the famous Flying Tigers. He was a part of the first mission to hunt and destroy Scud missiles deployed by Saddam Hussein against allies in the region.

Post-Desert Storm, Henry helped close England Air Force Base, La. and was given the opportunity to assist building the first operational A-10 unit at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.. The 354th Fighter Squadron became mission-ready in just two years, allowing Henry to fly A-10s during Southern Watch in response to Hussein's second threat on Kuwait in 1995. His last 18 months of active duty were spent training to defend the Republic of Korea from foreign enemies at Osan AFB, South Korea.

Henry separated from active duty into Inactive Ready Reserve status at the end of 1997. His exploration of civilian opportunities lead him to work for a charter aircraft company in Tucson, Ariz..

Henry joined the Air Force Reserves in 2000 as an Air Operations Center duty officer for the 701st Combat Operation Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, Calif. which was attached to the Air Operations center in South Korea. His familiarity with the Korean theatre assisted him in being an effective Combat Search and Rescue Cell Coordinator.

Henry was living in Chicago, flying for United Airlines when America experienced great loss on Sept. 11, 2001. The airplane route from Boston to New York that hit the north tower was Henry’s regular flight route, yet it happened to be Henry’s day off.

“It really hit me hard” said Henry. “I felt I needed to get back to flying the A-10 to take care of my country.”

Battle Creek Air National Guard Base was the closest A-10 unit to Henry’s home at the time. He sought out a position and transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard.

While attached to the 110th Fighter Wing, Don deployed to Iraq as an A-10 pilot in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Henry designed the airspace for all coalition forces arriving prior to OIF and worked directly with Kuwaiti military leaders. Back home, Henry took a full-time position as a staff officer at Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va., where he managed the entire A-10 fleet across guard, reserves and active forces. The mission was to complete the aircraft conversion from analog to digital. Some of the main upgrades were digital moving map displays and smart weapon capabilities. He then had the opportunity fly the newly-converted A-10C during his next deployment under Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008.

“It was a unique privilege to fly the A-10C aircraft I helped bring on-line and experience its capabilities first hand,” said Henry.

Returning from deployment, Henry joined the Air Operations Group at the 110th Attack Wing. Command asked him to be a liaison in Germany to build the organization’s relationship with Headquarters, 17th Air Force. During his 4.5 years in Germany, he integrated into 17th AF Plans and Operations, and was instrumental in developing the Africa Partnership Flight program.

“The Africa Partnership Flight program is still making an impact today in building relationships among African air forces and with the U.S.,” he said.

The final step in Henry’s career brought him back to 110th in 2012 as the Director of Operations, which led into his last duty position as commander of the 217th Combat Operations Squadron.

“One of the most significant achievements for the squadron was hosting Virtual Flag in 2014 at our operations floor, which required cooperation among all of the AOG squadrons,” said Henry. “We hosted active, guard, and reserve members representing all of the services – standing room only – and connected to live, virtual and constructed assets across 10 time zones to exercise capability in a realistic combat scenario.”

The squadron ran command and control and trained to respond to cyber-attacks and surface-to-surface missile attacks.

“It was not only a confidence boost for the organization, but we established credibility and valuable relationships,” says Henry.

Henry’s presence will be missed, as he leaves large boots to fill at the 110th Attack Wing. His retirement was celebrated Oct. 12, 2018, surrounded by family and friends.

He advises anyone inspired to become a pilot to, “do it while you are young, and deploy when you can. It’s an important experience that gives us perspective of how blessed we are in the U.S.”

• Date Taken: 11.16.2018
• Date Posted: 11.20.2018 12:47
• Story ID: 300239
• Location: BATTLE CREEK, MI, US