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Thanks…
Often I see on television documentary programs, people who are called legends of aviation. I have seen stories of pioneers of aviation, and the heroic deeds done by those who are engaged in combat situations. What we never see is those who are thrust into harsh environments and undeclared military conflicts, that rise to the occasion and perform admirably. People who go because they are told, and do what they must, without the fanfare that many of us received in conflicts that were publicly named and highly advertised. I wish to thank those who are there now, who have been there recently, and those who went a long time ago.
One such soldier I would like to thank is Terrance S. Newman, CW3, United States Army Reserve, Bosnia June 1999 - April 2000. Terry and I go way back. Back to flight school where we lived together, flew together, and grew to be good friends. Terry was from the Dallas Naval Air Station where he was assigned as an U.S. Army Reservist. Terry always claimed that he was going to be a “Terminal Slug Pilot”. He was scheduled to fly UH-1’s, and he was proud of it. He always used to say, “Call me a slug driver, call me a part timer, but soon enough, you can call me at home”. No matter what happened to the rest of us “Regular Army” guys, those Reservists knew where they were going; Back to their home base. The rest of us had to wait to hear what we were going to fly and where we were going to be stationed. I ended up in the Huey and at Fort Sill. Only 3 hours away from where Terry was going. How cool!
Over the years, Terry and I stayed in close contact and remained good friends. Being only 3 hours away by car, we would visit one another on occasion. I got to know his family and watch his son grow up. While I went on to fly the OH-58 and the Chinook at Fort Sill, Terry went on to fly the OH-58 Kiowa (Never again touching a Huey after flight school). Then he attended the AH-1 Cobra transition and maintenance course and then he went on to the AH-64 Apache training and maintenance course. So much for being a terminal slug pilot.
Like every Reservist, Terry had to have a “real” job, so for many years he worked in aviation for a component manufacturer while staying in the Reserves. He always had a dream of being a classically trained French Chef. So, he pursued the necessary training and became one. He secured a position as a Chef in a 5 star hotel in the Dallas area. A few years back, he decided to change careers again, and started schooling for a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer rating. That is when he was called away to Bosnia to fly with the 229th Flying Tigers, AH-64 Apache unit.
Of course, Terry had not flown an Apache for about 7 years so he was a natural choice to go to Bosnia. They gave him a whopping 10 hours of refresher training and sent him on his way. Leaving his wife and his son behind, he went across the sea to keep the peace in a war torn republic of the former Yugoslavia. While over there, he was placed in Command of his Reserve unit and was personally responsible for keeping hundreds of people alive in the harshest of winter conditions. He brought back several books of photographs that only begin to tell the story of the conditions they had to endure. Many of the photographs showed soldiers in waist deep snow, and aircraft buried up to their doors. He told us of impassable mountain roads and how they had to use those roads to deliver relief supplies to the sick and starving in the middle of a harsh Bosnian winter. One can only imagine the hardships that he had to endure. I received regular e-mail messages from Terry while he was there and true to form, he maintained the sense of humor that all of his friends know him for. He told us of rats in his coffee and broken American heaters that would not respond to the coaxing of Bosnian repairmen. We heard of the hardships of winter and the loneliness of the soldiers who wanted only to be back home. Thank God, Terry returned to complete his MCSE and MCT certification. He has been thrust into the wonderful world of computers full blast.
Update: 4/2/03: Terry is back at it, but now he is CW4 Newman. As you know, we are at war, and someone has to be the one who ships off all of those Reservists to Iraq. This time he did not have to go overseas, but he is working just as hard here in the U.S. by deploying the troops. Again, he is away from his family, and again, he is working long hours in support of his country. I caught up with him on the East Coast yesterday by phone, making sure that the troops they were deploying had everything they need.
We never hear about people like Terry Newman, who raise their hand and give up their personal life to serve others. The news media never tells us about the hundreds of men and women who go to places like Bosnia and the insufferable conditions they must endure. You probably wont ever see a documentary on the Discovery Channel about the American peace-keeping soldiers in Bosnia, because it is not a declared American war with tanks and guns. It is however, a United Nations war of food and medicine. Let me assure you that there are just as many heroes in Bosnia as there were anywhere else in our declared combat history. I just wanted you to know a little bit about the people who went and I wanted to say to all of them; Thanks.
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