Regis Graduates in the Air Force
By: Braden Rush
Hello everyone, today I am writing about former Regis Graduates who went into the Air Force. I asked them three main questions. The first question was, what made them want to join the Air Force? The second was, do you recommend joining the Air Force? The third and final main question was, what are some Pros/Cons of joining the Air Force?
Mr. Etzel graduated in 1971 and then joined the Air Force because he didn’t know what he wanted to do after graduation. During the summer before he graduated, someone he knew told him about how he had just finished his first year at OSU for the AF ROTC program, and he loved it. Mr. Etzel then decided to try it out and had a blast. Mr. Etzel told me he wanted to be a Cargo Plane pilot because after finishing his 6-year active duty commitment, he would try to get hired as an airline pilot. Mr. Etzel needed a certain amount of flying time to become an airline pilot. Operating the larger cargo/refueling aircraft acquired him much quicker flying time than those flying the fighter types aircraft. With those thoughts in mind, as Active Duty (AD) pilot training came close, his first choice of assignment was for a C-141 cargo plane. Some challenge Mr. Etzel faced in the Air force was getting through the one-year Undergraduate Pilot Training program. Many long days and a lot of stress. About 20% of his class of 35 trainees washed out, but this was a great bonding experience for all aspiring pilots who helped each other get through it. After 52 long weeks, Mr. Etzel got his Air Force pilot wings, one of his most significant achievements.
Mr. Etzel would recommend the Air Force to anyone, especially those unsure of what they may want to do after High School. The military lifestyle teaches you many valuable things you can use in the future. Some of Mr. Etzel’s training classmates from 45 years ago are still some of his best friends. Mr. Etzel said he loved his time in the Air Force; his only regret was retiring. He was in the Air Force for 30 great years. However, 24 of those years were part-time with the AF reserve while he was flying full-time with the airlines. Mr. Etzel says that there are unlimited pros to joining the Air Force with everything you learn and all kinds of stuff. The only con he can think of is that the Active duty forces will generally move you around every 3-5 years to give you more career-broadening experiences. Mr. Etzel says he couldn’t have picked a better career path after High School.
The second person I asked some questions was Mr. Dol. He graduated in 2019 and said he was always drawn to service; even when he was a kid, he wanted to be a pilot. When he moved to the USA, he combined his dream of flying and service to serve in the USAF as a pilot. Mr. Dol wanted to be a physical pilot of a fighter jet, but unfortunately, he was disqualified medically. However, he was offered to become a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) pilot and jumped at the opportunity. RPA’s have been a cornerstone of the USAF, supporting ground operations since the mid to late 90s. He wanted to be part of that legacy of supporting troops on the ground and fulfilling a unique role in our country’s air assets. Mr. Dol says he experienced many challenges to overcome to become an RPA pilot. First was getting into college, then earning his citizenship in the US, getting into shape, completing, and getting selected for an RPA slot.
Then when he was once an RPA selected, he had to complete the RPA training program. The training Mr. Dol had to do in the RPA training program was approximately two years of rigorous training to meet the high expectations of the USAF. Flying the RPA’s is the more significant challenge as your flying off of indicators and computer screens. Unlike human-crewed aircraft, you can’t feel what the reaper is doing, so you need to trust your instruments. Mr. Dol said there’s a lot of responsibility as a Pilot in Command (PIC) at a very young age. He enjoys flying the MQ-9 Reaper drone and has made many friends in his squadron. He says it is a much more capable and adaptable aircraft than he thought it would be. The RPA field is still very young and new, and he’s excited to see where the USAF takes it. Currently, Mr. Dol has done three years in the Air Force with five years as a prior Army National Guard member with a total of 8 years of service. He plans to do his whole 20 years at least and then see what his prospect is to move upward and stay. If there is a change, he could try to become a general so he could stay. However, if he cannot reach that goal, he would consider separating and finding another line of work in upper-level management.
Mr. Dol recommends you join the Air Force if you feel drawn to service. He says it’s something you should consider because if you are unsure of what you joined and didn’t like, you already are stuck in a contract you signed up for, and you have to stay in it for four years. Mr. Dol would only recommend applying to be a Drone pilot if you genuinely desire to be one. He says there is a lot of responsibility being in charge of an MQ-9 and the commitment of being a service member. But if you are fascinated by aviation, it is a fascinating, intriguing, and rewarding job to have.
Mr. Dol gave me a lot of pros; Some of the pros he said is that you are serving your country. You are given chances to explore more of what the world has to offer. There is also a lot of potential for growth, whether physical, emotional, or mental. The military environment will not only force you to grow in all aspects but also provide opportunities to take matters into your own hands. He says you get a guaranteed job straight out of high school or college. Now the cons that Mr. Dol says are that its long work hours. The military mindset is that you are on call 24 hours a day. Some days can be very long, especially when you deploy and start training in your job. Another con is moving every three years; some people like it, and others don’t. Mr. Dol said he enjoys moving states every three years, but if you have a family, it can be pretty hard.
From what you should’ve learned after reading this is that the Air Force is a pretty good career you could choose. One of the things Mr. Etzel and Mr. Dol said is that the Air Force is something you can enter right after Highschool so if you don’t know what to do, you can enlist in the Air Force. Mr. Etzel and Mr. Dol both had/have somewhat similar piloting jobs but slightly different. Still, they say that if you are interested in aviation, then it’s a good job you can try to get. The main con, Mr. Etzel and Mr. Dol would say, is moving to a different place every 3-5 years. The Air Force gives you many different skills and goes toward a good cause. If you are interested in joining the Air Force or have no idea what to do after you graduate, the Air Force is a good option. However, make sure to think about it before you enlist.
Here’s a picture of Mr. Dol :
