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Fini flight: Shaw says goodbye to wingman

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Amber E. N. Jacobs
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Two fire trucks stood by on a cold and rainy afternoon as an F-16 Fighting Falcon taxied down the runway Feb. 19.

As the jet made its way through the dousing arches of water from the emergency vehicles, a small crowd waited by the jet's overhang with fire extinguishers and fire hoses while a crew chief waved the jet into the overhang.

The engine powered down, and the canopy opened as the pilot began to descend from the jet. At that moment, a powerful blast of water hit him and the crowd began to cheer.

After more than 28 years of service, Lt. Col. Douglas White, chief of standardization, had completed his last mission as a pilot in the United States Air Force.

Congratulations were in order.

White was commissioned in to the active-duty AF in 1984. After retiring from active duty in 2004, White joined the Air Force Reserve Command and continued to work as a member of the 482nd Operations Group Detachment 1 assigned to 9th Air Force, and flew with the 79th Fighter Squadron under the Fighter Reserve Associate Program.

"I have always loved to fly and was 'that' pilot who would hang around the duty desk hoping to pick up an extra sortie," White reminisced. "My first memory of the Air Force was watching the Thunderbirds at McCoy Air Force Base (Orlando, Fla.) way back in the 1960s when I was just four or five years old. I think I always had it in the back of my mind that I would be a pilot. I never gave up and had a lot of luck along the way."

Having more than 12 flying deployments and a half dozen non-flying deployments, White participated in several major operations to include Desert Shield, Desert Storm and New Dawn.

"He was there when the first Americans ever went into Iraq, and he was there when the last Americans left Iraq," explained Lt. Col. Jason Plourde, 79th Fighter Squadron commander. "During our deployment in fall of 2011 to Kuwait, he actually got to point out to some of us the damage that was still on the air field. It was pretty neat to have him there on that deployment. I trusted him to serve as an operations supervisor and as an instructor for my most junior wingmen. Some of them had just arrived at Shaw only months before our deployment and were flying combat missions for the first time."

With almost three decades of experience flying F-16s, White was not only a flying asset during combat missions, but he also passed down much of his knowledge to the younger generation of pilots.

"One of the most memorable moments recently was flying with Capt. Anthony Norman, 79th Fighter Squadron pilot, on his first combat mission," White said. "I was glad to be able to lend a little help and guidance, but I walked away proud of the younger generation coming into the military. I knew at that time the Air Force would still continue to be the best there is. For me, it was kind of like passing the torch."

While his 5,016 total flight hours and 379 combat hours may seem impressive to some, for White the amount of hours logged into his flight book is nothing compared to his respect for those Airmen he relies on during a mission.

"I often think back to the young airman in aircrew flight equipment whose diligence and attention to detail has kept me safe for 3,500 missions, and the young airman and officer who gave me an intelligence briefing before I flew a combat mission," White recalled. "The crew chiefs have always had my utmost respect; they are out on the flight line in the rain, snow, blazing hot sun a couple hours before I show up and are out there hours after I'm long gone."

During his time in the AF, White has been stationed at Shaw four different times and has flown with many different pilots over the years while at Shaw.

He was Brig. Gen. Charlie Moore's flight commander when Moore was a lieutenant here at Shaw, back when the 20th Fighter Wing was still the 363rd Fighter Wing, Plourde explained.

"The guys who taught us to fly, he taught them to fly," added Lt. Col. Mitchell Migliori, 482nd Operations Group Det. 1 commander.

In addition to flying as a pilot, White has spent time as a flight simulator instructor, as well as an evaluator pilot.

"He is the only person at Shaw who is still on active flying status as an instructor," Plourde added. "Many years ago, pilots from Luke AFB, during the training course, would fly out to Shaw to participate in the simulator. As a result he has probably instructed one third of the F-16 pilots."

Over the years White has logged 2,796 instructor pilot hours and has trained countless pilots to be mission ready.

"What sets him apart from other fighter pilots is his ability to stay motivated and keep up a high level of proficiency for such a long period of time," Migliori explained. "It's such a stressful job that we do, and it's easy for people to become very burned out."

When asked what kept him motivated, White responded, "It was flying with and instructing the younger pilots. Their thirst for knowledge and desire to be the best they can be is still an inspiration to me -- even after all these years."