Those who know him best in Army Aviation refer to him as a "national treasure."
Jack Holmes, a Vietnam veteran who retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, has been the G-3 installation air traffic and airspace official for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker for 30 years.
After half a century of combined active duty and Department of the Army civilian service, Holmes made his final flight, landing on Howze Field Dec. 19, closing the chapter in his life marked "federal service."
"Today we witnessed the culmination of 50 years of active and federal civilian service in support of Army Aviators across the globe. Jack Holmes' selfless service to his fellow aviation professionals and to this branch, and specifically what we do here at Fort Rucker, has been immeasurable and will have an impact for decades to come," said Maj. Gen. David J. Francis, commanding general, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker.
Holmes said he is grateful for the "professional, mission-oriented" comrades he has worked with at Fort Rucker.
"I have been incredibly blessed. We are family. We've laughed a lot together. There's been times we've cried together. I think that is a huge blessing," Holmes said. "For me and my family, it's time for me to retire. This season is over."
During his tenure at G-3 Air, the U.S. Army Air Traffic Services Command recognized his office as having the best Airspace Management Program in the Army for more than five years.
"I feel that I am not performing my job satisfactorily if we are not the best in the Army," Holmes said. "The success story is not just mine. It is due to the professionalism of everyone involved in the flight training mission at Fort Rucker."
His office manages the most complex core of airspace in the Army, with hundreds of aircraft and three launch periods per day.
That personal commitment to excellence has been a common thread throughout his career.
From his youth he was interested in Aviation. When his father was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, Holmes was surrounded by aviation. He was taking flying lessons in his teen years.
He recalled the letter he received in the late 1960s that began with the words "greetings and salutations," and ended in his being drafted in the U.S. Army.
"It's the best thing that ever happened to me," Holmes said. "It gave a lot of people like myself discipline and a sense of direction."
To Holmes, service provided a chance to focus on something greater than self.
"I think what we've got to do is think of something bigger than ourselves, and how can we pour ourselves into that. At the same time, be involved in something that you're willing to sacrifice for. Even if it means giving up your life to do that. That's what we need to do. Not look inward at ourselves, but (ask), how can I serve? How can I make Fort Rucker better?" he explained.
Before becoming an Army Aviator, he first trained to be an OH-13 and OH-23 mechanic.
After basic training, he recalled boarding a bus with "40 of my new best friends," headed for a place called Fort Rucker.
"I didn't have a clue where Fort Rucker was," he recalled. He knew they were getting close when he heard the sound of Huey helicopters.
Just after completing the training, he was off to Vietnam for approximately 19 months.
"At that time, during the Vietnam conflict, you didn't go over as a unit. You went over as an individual," he said.
He served with D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Air Cavalry Regiment (Light Horse), 1st Aviation Brigade, Vinh Long, Republic of South Vietnam, as a door gunner, crew chief and a UH-1H mechanic.
"We were flying eight to ten hours a day in Vietnam. That was seven days a week," he said.
Among his citations, Holmes was awarded the Air Medal with "V" Device for participating in an operation near "Parrot's Beak," which is close to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. They were able to destroy the majority of an entire North Vietnam army regiment that they caught in the open, which turned into a three day campaign.
After he returned home from Vietnam, Holmes applied for flight school, and soon he was off to Fort Walters, Texas for primary, flying the TH-55. With 100 hours to his credit--which he described as being "cocky and dangerous at the same time"--he headed back to Fort Rucker for instrument training in the TH-13, and combat and tactics training in the UH-1H.
"At that time, everybody went into the Huey. Then when you finished flight school, you could go Cobra driver or Chinook," he said, of the early 1970s.
During an assignment with the 128th Assault Helicopter Company in Korea, Holmes "grew up" as an aviator and officer, and was designated an instrument instructor pilot. He became one of few school-trained instructor pilots in a time when instructors were appointed by the command based on their experience level.
Then, while stationed at Fort Polk, he was introduced to airspace management, in addition to serving as a standardization officer and instructor pilot at a time when the Army was undergoing significant changes in how it conducted flight training. He was chosen to become the commanding general's pilot, and also participated in Reforger 78 conducted by NATO.
Later, while stationed in Alaska, he mastered whiteout snow takeoffs and landings, became part of the unit's High Altitude Rescue Team, and developed a love for the Chinook mission.
Holmes also worked at the Department of the Army Regional Representative Office in Kansas City, Missouri, representing the Army to the Federal Aviation Administration and the FAA to Army units.
During his career, he flew the UH-1D/H, the CH-47 A/B/C, the OH-58 A/C and the TH-67. Over the years he has also flown numerous civilian fixed-wing aircraft.
He has his FAA Commercial License for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, and is Instrument rated in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, multi-engine fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing Certified Flight Instructor, and rotary wing Certified Flight Instructor Instruments.
In total, he came to Fort Rucker six different times during his career, most of those for training, and eventually made the Wiregrass his permanent home.
Holmes said he was proud to work in Alabama's "Aviation corridor of excellence," that spans from Huntsville including NASA and Redstone, down to Maxwell Air Force Base at Montgomery, to the Aviation Center at Fort Rucker.
With 5 base fields, 15 stage fields, and upwards of 65 remote training sites for him to keep an eye on locally, Holmes has overall responsibility for all airfields and stage fields to ensure the facilities are in compliance with current regulations, including any time upgrades are done to ramps, taxiways, parking spots or lighting.
"Our Fort Rucker facilities were built in the 1950s, for first generation aircraft. Lowe was a Bird Dog and Beaver airfield. We now have fourth generation helicopters that are out there, and Future Vertical Lift is going to be a lot different," Holmes said.
With his experience working with the FAA and communities, it is not surprising that his job at Fort Rucker also included providing guided aerial tours for visiting officials.
"I get to be the host. The installation speaks for itself," he said. "How many times have we come back in on short final here, and whoever I'm giving the tour to will say, "I did not realize (Fort Rucker) was this complex. I did not realize the enormity of what you do here.'"
The mission here is "absolutely incredible," he said.
Holmes hopes others will understand not just the economic impact Fort Rucker has on the community, but also the impact the training mission has to the Army and the Department of Defense.
"What we do here, how we train our aviators, and how then those aviators go out and conduct warfighting missions or humanitarian missions…. These are the Army's best. Whether enlisted or officer or warrant officer, these young men and women are the best that we have to offer," he said.
He hopes Fort Rucker's neighbors understand the Soldier is also a citizen of the local community, involved in civic organizations, clubs and churches.
"It's important for them to know when a soldier comes here, this becomes their home," he said.
Holmes said he is thankful for his wife Linda, who has understood and supported the Army way of life.
His advice to young people who are setting goals for the future is to look at what their interests are, and he stressed the importance of a sense of direction and discipline.
"Let the Army train you for something you can use when you retire or finish your commitment," he said.
Looking back over his career, Holmes said he would do it all again, "without hesitation."
"I depend upon my faith quite a bit. I very, very much believe in God's providence and that he had me here for a time and a reason," Holmes said. "Just like you read in Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a time and place for everything. I think he had me here at this time and place for doing this."
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2020 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 357280 |
| Location: | FORT RUCKER, AL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 'Here for a reason': Fort Rucker's G-3 airspace official retires after 50 years combined service, by Kelly Morris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
