- So why did I choose the Air Force?
Alright, so.
I think the funny story about choosing
a military branch in general,
is I didn't know I was gonna join the National Guard.
My brother-in-law took me to a recruiter.
We didn't know it was an Air Force National Guard recruiter,
we thought it was an active duty recruiter.
- In the middle.
(gunshot)
Stand down.
- It was kind of by accident, that I joined the,
I guess the Air Force and National Guard in general,
so everything happens for a reason.
I think that was kind of an awesome mistake that happened.
- Spread your legs.
Spread them.
- I think work ethic to me means,
you know putting that extra time in the chair flying,
getting into the regulations, knowing the regulations.
I think a lot of that stems from my enlisted career,
a lot of my mentors and team
and leadership saw the hard work
I put in and you're recognized for it,
so I think that just drives you and motivates you.
Not only for me, personally for my work ethic
as far as I'm enlisted, I want that to transfer into
my work ethic as an officer and as an aviator in the 108th.
The reason I wanted to be a pilot,
my father's a pilot so he grew up in Guatemala
and he was a young aviator and then
he came over to the States.
And he always had the dream
and aspiration to be a pilot United States.
Unfortunately it never ended up happening for him.
So just growing up hearing his stories
as a young aviator over there,
and then also just growing up in Browns Mills
outside gates of Fort Dicks,
just hearing the jets you know do their
transition work, touch and gos, the ranges.
I always knew I wanted to be a pilot and in the military,
so it was just a matter of time
and figuring out how I was gonna obtain that goal.
And it ended up all working out, it was awesome.
You know the transition of becoming a pilot
and a dad at the same time was probably the hardest
and best thing to ever happen to me.
A lot of the other instructors
there were asking me exactly
what was the thought process behind that,
but I always promised my wife
that once I got into pilot training
we were gonna start a family and
I just wanted to be true to what I promised her.
And it actually worked out for the best.
We had our son, Dylan, a week before
my final check ride at UPT.
You know, I think that was definitely
a fuel of motivation for me too,
cause then not only am I trying to be
the best pilot I could be, I was also trying to be
the best husband I could be and also potentially
be the best father that I could be.
So, getting in the jet everyday thinking about my wife
and soon to be son, that was the drive and motivation
that helped me get through training I think.
So my first flight back here at the 108th was,
it was a really humbling experience.
Three years plus in the making as far as going to AMS,
getting my private pilot's licence, Bachelor's degree,
going through UPT, Sere, Altus.
So all that training embodied in one flight
as far as flying back at home with the tiger tails
and as far as all the training that led up to it,
we did the same thing that we learned at Altus,
at UPT, those same fundamentals applied here.
The thing about it though is flying with other people that
I've worked with at the CRG and then now
being in the right seat while they're in the left seat,
it was awesome, it was a humbling experience.
(plane flying)
One of the things to take away from the transition
from enlisted to officer for me is just being humble.
Just because you're an officer now doesn't mean you know,
you're better than anyone else.
You know, it's one team one fight,
and as an officer you need to take pride
and listen to your enlisted, utilize your NTOs,
your senior NTOs and there's a lot to learn from them,
especially being in the guard with people
who worked 30 plus years, there's a lot to learn.