C-130 Dyess Air Force Base Abilene Texas

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I am the son of a professional aviator and I'm a pilot myself. I can relate to how joyous it is for a father to return home from an overseas trip. (Please see "Father-Aviator Memorial Video" about my dad, look for the WW2 airplane) It is especially exciting when that aviator is returning from a war-zone, like Dyess personnel have done during numerous conflicts. I spent many years working in television and in March, 2003 I went on a freelance assignment for a client to capture some short interviews and shoot footage of a Dyess homecoming event. I traveled to Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts where I met Dyess C-130s crews as they were returning home from their mission in Afghanistan. Having grown up around airfields and aviators, I have a special fondness for airports, airplanes, the people who fly and maintain them, and this Dyess Homecoming was a very special project for me with my background in aviation and as a military veteran. When I saw my very first C-130, I was a young soldier just assigned to an Airborne unit at Fort Bragg, in 1971. I thought then, as I do today, this airplane is truly magnificent. THE BEST PART OF THIS VIDEO IS AT THE END... So while this LONG video is loading, go get a cup of coffee, walk the dog or wash the car and come back and watch THE LAST 90 SECONDS OF THE VIDEO, when the families (moms, dads, sons, daughters) are reunited. The end is the best part of the video! The "Icing On The Cake" for this homecoming was when civilians from nearby Abilene were allowed on base and cheered our Dyess team as they got off their C-130s. As a former soldier from a time when it was not "cool" to be in the service, this support and warm greeting from civilians touched my heart. I apologize for the length. These C-130s are simply too magnificent and spectacular and it was hard not to show all the footage I had for this assignment. As a pilot myself, and the son of a professional pilot, I like to watch these C-130s fly and I hope you will enjoy my video. Shortly after the cowardly and tragic events of 9-11, our military was called into action to help root out the Taliban and elements of Osama Bin Ladin's cowardly dogs from Afghanistan. The men and women of Dyess Air Force Base in Texas played an important role in the Afghanistan mission with their amazing C-130s. As a Vietnam Veteran, I spent a year in a sweltering hot/humid bug-infested jungle. No e-mail, no air conditioning, showers MAYBE once a week, very few hot meals. From my own experience, I knew the Dyess team would be pumped-up on their return trip to the USA. My experience in returning home from Vietnam was not unlike that of many service members who came back during "Nam". No fanfare, no formal greetings, no flags waving, no respect... In fact, I tried to hitch-hike home in my Class A uniform from the airport in El Paso to surprise my unsuspecting parents who had no idea I was on my way back to the US from Vietnam. From the airport in El Paso, I walked 5 miles in my Class A Army uniform in the broiling El Paso summer sun, lugging a very heavy duffel bag "thumbing" on a busy road for more than an hour. Nobody would offer a guy in uniform a ride back in those days. Finally a lady whose husband was a Full Bird Colonel at Fort Bliss gave me a ride the last 3 miles home, BUT NO CIVILIAN WOULD STOP. (One carload of high-school kids tossed a soft drink at me and yelled obscenities as I walked along Montana Avenue in my Army Class "A" uniform... OK, I'm off my soap box... that was back in the late days of Vietnam.. :( *****FAST FORWARD TO 2003 AT DYESS AFB***** When the C-130s arrived home, I was blown away at all the civilians from nearby Abilene, Texas who came out to greet the air-crews. To borrow a phrase from the movie LITTLE BIG MAN, my heart "soared like a hawk." I was delighted to see this group of servicemen and women greeted so warmly. People were cheering for our Dyess team, not yelling obscenities at them. What a joy! I decided to edit a special montage of the footage I shot for the TV station to give to as many Dyess people as I could. I wanted the Dyess folks to ALWAYS remember their return home to Texas as a HAPPY, POSITIVE AND PROUD MOMENT in their military careers (not like the one the guys from Vietnam got.) I entitled my piece, "GOOD Triple A --- Afghanistan to America to Abilene." This video earned me a Telly Award and an Aurora Award in international film and video competition, as well as regional press coverage. If any Dyess member (former or present) is watching, please copy this off of YouTube and remember, America (and especially Abilene) think you folks are terrific :) 5TA6, San Antonio Sectional

Category: People
Uploaded: January 10th, 2007 @ 4:48 am
Author: tuutuutango

Length: 09:23
Rating: Whole StarWhole StarWhole StarWhole StarHalf Star
Views: 216,107

Tags: abilene afghanistan air c-130 dyess force

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