Photo By Tech. Sgt. Betty Chevalier | U.S. Air Force Capt. Alan “Gang” Greene, 123rd Fighter Squadron F-15C Eagle pilot,...... read more read more
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Dominating the airspace is a mission for all members of the U.S. Air Force which makes Checkered Flag a valuable resource for not only active duty units, but the Air National Guard as well.
For Checkered Flag 22-2, the Oregon ANG sent F-15 Eagles from the 123rd Fighter Squadron to Tyndall. Integrating total and joint forces provided a unique training experience for pilot Capt. Alan “Gang” Greene.
“Flying with active units, more jets are available so you're able to do more missionized training,” explained Greene. “You get to fly with different airframes also which allows you to integrate and figure out new game plans based off of who you're flying with.”
Greene, originally from Sunnyvale, California, knew he wanted to fly when he was 15. His family history serving in the military was an easy motivation for him to chase the calling.
“My great uncle was a Tuskegee Airman,” Greene said. “Hearing his stories and knowing about what he did was the inspiration for me to not only want to be a pilot, but be a fighter pilot. My whole dad's side of the family have people that were in World War II and Vietnam. Just having that history behind you, there's a lot of inspiration there.”
He pursued his degree, but pilot slots were extremely limited. For seven years he flew on the civilian side, but after his brother joined the U.S. Navy, he changed course to get back to his original goal: flying fighter jets. In order to guarantee his spot as a fighter pilot, he applied to ANG units and was selected by the 123rd FS. In March 2018, he earned his commission.
Since then, he has become a qualified F-15C pilot. Being a part of Checkered Flag, along with Combat Archer 22.08, is an experience he hasn’t had before.
“There’s been a lot of firsts for me here,” Greene said. “I really enjoyed being able to fight against other fighter jets, like the F-22, which I've never done before; shot a missile, which I've never done before; a lot of fighter integration with 4th- and 5th-generation aircraft. I feel like it's only [trainings] like this, that you're able to do this. It gives you opportunity to broaden your experience and say ‘I did that’.”
Green took a break from his goal, but didn’t let it stop him from reaching success. He looks to inspire those around him along with those interested in becoming fighter pilots in the future.
“It's not hard to be a fighter pilot as long as you know to pursue it,” Greene expressed. “When you do finally get here, you get to really see what's going on in the world and how you can contribute to it. When you go to things like Checkered Flag, you get to see how this implements to potential real-world scenarios, how you are going to be able to make a difference. I think that's an important thing for people that are maybe doing jobs that don't seem like it's important because if those jobs aren't done, then we can't get in the jet or execute the way we want to. It's all important, even if you don't see it.”
Story was originally posted to the Tyndall Air Force Base website on May 26, 2022 and may be found at https://www.tyndall.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/3044869/checkered-flag-spotlight-capt-alan-gang-greene/.
| Date Taken: | 05.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2022 10:07 |
| Story ID: | 421050 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | PORTLAND, OR, US |
| Hometown: | PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, OR, US |
| Hometown: | SUNNYVALE, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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