For four young NCOs, a new challenge begins

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ethan Bryant
  • 96th Airlift Squadron
MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION-- --  A flying squadron in the Air Force Reserve is able to do some amazing things that would be impossible on active duty. One of these things is the ability to build its officer corps partly through the recruitment of enlisted members from within the squadron or wing. For example, it is common in the Reserve for pilots or navigators to have first spent thousands of hours as loadmasters, flight engineers, or crew chiefs on the same aircraft.

Besides allowing citizen airmen to build deep roots in the communities they serve, this means that these officers and future leaders have a very thorough understanding of the mission from many different perspectives. That being said, what recently took place in the 96th Airlift Squadron was unique even for the Air Force Reserve. The 96th, a C-130H3 unit based at Minneapolis Air Reserve Station, Minn., recently sent four NCOs to the same Officer Training School class to take their first steps on the road to becoming pilots. Tech. Sgts. Justin Gort and Ryan Christopherson, along with Staff Sgts. Max Gillmer, and Dan Tate were selected for pilot training at different times, but the training pipeline aligned in such a way that they are all becoming Officer Trainees together in class 14-05.

Tate has a maintenance background while Gort, Gilmer, and Christopherson are all C-130 loadmasters. They all have deployment experience and a track record of successfully balancing multiple demands (military duty, school, civilian work, and family), to earn a chance at something many talk about but few achieve: a commission as an officer and the wings of an Air Force pilot. They all excelled as airmen and NCOs and were successful in the multi-year process. For Sergeant Gort, that balancing act included having the discipline to study for college classes in between combat missions during a deployment to Afghanistan. For Sergeant Tate it meant leaving a full-time job with the Air National Guard to transfer to the Air Force Reserve and have more opportunities at earning a commission. Sergeant Christopherson began his military career as an enlisted Marine and was right up against the age limit when he was selected. Sergeant Gilmer navigated the selection process in record time. "It was great to have some of those officers that were formerly enlisted to look to as role models," said Gort. "Just seeing that they were able to accomplish what I was trying to do was encouraging, and it helped keep the motivation up the past few years. "

"There's some pressure too," added Gilmer with a smile. "No one here can remember the last person from the 96th to fail out of pilot training and no one wants to be the first."

If they are successful in making it through Officer Training they have Initial Flight Screening, Undergraduate Pilot Training and C-130 qualification ahead of them. Unlike many people selected for pilot training that are non-prior service, these four NCOs don't have hundreds of hours flying light airplanes as civilians. With multiple deployments and their college studies to complete there wasn't much time or money left over for that. What they do have is the enhanced situational awareness that comes with many hundreds of hours as C-130 aircrew and the support they receive from their friends and mentors in the squadron.

Christopherson will need to lean on that military support system more than most, as his wife is due to deliver his son about a week prior to his graduation from OTS. "It's definitely not the way I'd plan it out, but you half expect something like this to happen when you're in the military," said Christopherson. "My wife has family nearby, and I know the squadron will fill in to help with whatever else she needs. Besides, there is no way we can pass up this opportunity." All four of these young airmen have worked hard to earn this opportunity, and it's one they plan on taking full advantage of.

The 96th Airlift squadron, part of the 934th Airlift Wing, is based at the Minneapolis Air Reserve Station. Despite its relatively small size, this facility is host to a large number of joint Total Force agencies, including the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, and Marine Corps Reserve. Its shared use with the Minneapolis Airport allows it to operate at a fraction of the cost to the DOD as a stand-alone military base.