From all of us at the AAAA Global Headquarters, we hope you all have had a wonderful Holiday Season… time with family and loved ones. And especially during this time, our thoughts and prayers are with our men and women in uniform who are deployed and engaged around the globe in support of our Nation’s vital mission.

I’m pleased to report that we had a very successful Cribbins Readiness Conferrence in Huntsville, AL beginning on Veterans Day in November. The professional programs and sessions were incisive and impactful, and we thank the entire Aviation General Officer Steering Committee (GOSC) for their presence, participation and support for the forum’s entirety.

Our Industry partner support and participation, as always, was incredibly strong and invaluable to the realization of our Networking and Voice pillars. Please take a look at page 74 for a complete wrap up and especially the coverage of our incredible AAAA awardees. A real highlight was the AAAA Murder Mystery Dinner hosted by our AAAA Scholarship Foundation… what a tremendous evening (the Roaring Twenties Speakeasy theme was taken seriously by your AAAA National Executive Group… you determine whether you believe your Association has adequate leadership after viewing the group picture!) where over $95,000 was donated in support of our signature Recognition and Support program. And in that spirit, I want to highlight Chapter President, COL (Ret.) Ron Lukow’s AAAA Washington Potomac Chapter Annual Scholarship Fund Raising Formal held in late November. What an incredible evening; one that truly showcases the programs and activities of our chapters, which are the backbone, and indicative of the strength, of our great Association. I was privileged to attend, and witness first-hand the impact that our incredible scholarship program has on the lives and future success of the recipients.

Not to be left out, our Voice pillar was firmly addressed over the last month. Our very own AAAA Executive Director, Mr. Bill Harris (the epitome of persistence), was able to meet with our Army Aviation Caucus Co-Chair, the Honorable Rosa DeLauro (D CT-3) in her office in Washington, D. C. on Thursday November 14, 2024. During the meeting with her staff the course was set for the next year with the selection of the Honorable Dale Strong, (R AL-5) as her Republican co-chair, and the next meeting projected to take place in the first quarter of CY 25. There is still some work to do to get additional members of Congress to join the Caucus in the new Congress next year. If you have a Congressman in your district that may be interested due to a connection to Army Aviation through personal experience, having an installation in their area, or related industry please send your suggestions in to Bill at bill@quad-a.org who will forward to the co-chairs for action.

Finally, on behalf of the Association, I’d like to welcome back LTC (Ret.) Kevin Cochie who will transition back to serve as the Chairman, Legislative Affairs Committee and the Association’s Legislative Liaison. We can’t thank LTC (Ret.) Josh Baker enough for all of the work he has done in that role for the past several years… very much appreciate his passion and edication in support of our Association.

As we look forward to 2025, we hope to see you at one of our events – the Luther Jones Depot Symposium has shifted to February 11-12 and of course our AAAA Annual Summit on May 14-16. Thanks to all our members for a really great 2024!!!

Above the Best!

MG Walt Davis, U.S. Army Retired
36th President, AAAA
walt.davis@quad-a.org

It is great to continue the rhythm of events and activities that showcase Army Aviation’s essential capabilities, and your Association’s contribution to enabling the pillars of Networking, Voice, Recognition and Support for our Army Aviation soldiers and families.

On November 7, I had the privilege and honor to represent the Association at the U.S. Southern Command Change of Command and retirement ceremony for GEN Laura Richardson and induct her into the Gold Order of Saint Michael in recognition of her incredible accomplishments, service, and support to our Army, Joint Force, and the Army Aviation Community.

The event served as a reminder of how fortunate we are to now have five retired Aviation four- star generals (GEN Doug Brown, GEN Dick Cody, GEN Dan Hokanson, and GEN Jim McConville) that have been incredibly impactful and supportive of our Army Aviation family and Association. Additionally, I was honored to attend the retirement ceremony of CW5 Wade Ziegler, the 6th Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army Special Operations Aviation Command and present him with the Gold Order of Saint Michael in recognition of his more than 32 years of dedicated service and accomplishments in support of our Army, Army Aviation, and the Army Special Operations community. What an incredible Army Aviation force we have!

Let me transition and speak about our AAAA Senior Executive Associates. Conceived over two decades ago by GEN Crosby E. ‘Butch’ Saint and Brig. Gen. Harry Bendorf, USAF (who at that time headed our AAAA Strategic Planning Committee), this is the group of our retired, non-Aviation Flag Officers, who volunteer their time to help generate understanding of Army Aviation capabilities, priorities, and challenges outside of the Army Aviation community.

The Associates come together twice annually to meet with the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Army Aviation General Officer Steering Committee led by our Branch Chief, MG Clair Gill… with our most recent meeting occurring on the heels of the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition in mid-October. Our Senior Executive Associates perspective from the ‘Big Army’ point of view, as former Division, Corp, and Army Commanders, is simply invaluable. Under the leadership of the Chairman, GEN J.D. Thurman, Generals Dan Allyn, J.C. Campbell, Dave Perkins, Gus Perna, and Steve Townsend, along with Lieutenant Generals Dave Halverson, Mike Oates, Jim Pasquarette, Roger Schultz and Frank Wiercinski, work very effectively to ensure Army Aviation’s value is understood. We can’t thank them enough for their volunteer efforts in support of the Army Aviation Community and our Army Aviation soldiers and families.

By the time you read this we will have completed our second largest gathering of the year. The AAAA Cribbins Readiness Conference is always a signature event as we gather in Huntsville, AL to present and discuss all things acquisition and sustainment, in the context of being able to fight tonight and prepare for future operations with all the new emerging technology before us. Exciting times for sure as we meet the challenge of gaining effectiveness and advantage in protection, lethality, and supportability through the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems, launched effects, the modular open systems approach, and the realization of the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft.

Finally, if you haven’t already…please make sure to sign up and join us for the AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit, May 14-16, 2025, in Nashville.

From all of us at the AAAA Global Headquarters, we hope you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for all you do in support of Army Aviation!

Above the Best!

MG Walt Davis, U.S. Army Retired
36th President, AAAA
walt.davis@quad-a.org

It is great to be back into the rhythm of the events that showcase Army Aviation’s essential capabilities, and your Association’s contribution to enabling the pillars of Networking, Voice, Recognition and Support.

First was the Association of the United States Army Hot Topic on Aviation, which occurred in early September at AUSA Headquarters in Arlington VA. Bill Harris, our Executive Director, and I were invited to participate in this important event; I was honored to chair the opening panel on “Army Aviation in the Air-Ground Littoral of 2040,” while Bill introduced all the day’s speakers and panels. Our Branch Chief MG Clair Gill, BG Cain Baker, our Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team director, BG David Phillips, Program Executive Officer Aviation, GEN JD Thurman, Ret. (our AAAA Senior Executive Associates Chair), and COL Tom Von Eschenbach, Ret., Senior Vice President for Air and Space Systems, Parry Labs, were exceptional in their articulation of the criticality of Army Aviation capabilities and their contributions to the future fight. Our Branch is simply in great hands with not only our incredible Aviation General Officer Steering Group leaders, but also with our exceptional Industry Partner leaders that are so committed to the Branch.

At the end of September, we hosted the AAAA Army Aviation Survivability Forum in Huntsville. It was a dynamic event with great questions being raised for the speakers and panel from the many Aviation Mission Survivability Officers (AMSO) in attendance. A huge thanks to COL Brock Zimmerman, Project Manager Aircraft Survivability Equipment, and our Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, BG Ed Barker, whose support ensured the attendance and participation of unit AMSOs from all components for both the classified and unclassified Forum sessions. Industry feedback was also critical and reinforced how your AAAA is a vital enabler and platform for lateral discussions among the entire Aviation community to explore solutions that have a real-world impact for our force.

As always, a key highlight of the Forum was the recognition of our outstanding awardees both on stage and at the Awardee Dinner the night before the presentations. We are so fortunate to have these great Soldiers in our formations. See page 44 for photos and a more detailed wrap up of the event.

Finally, we will have held our Senior Executive Associates Dinner which occurs after the conclusion of the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Conference, in mid-October. This is the group of our retired, non-Aviation Flag Officers, who volunteer their time to help generate understanding of Army Aviation capabilities, priorities, and challenges outside of the Army Aviation community. We were fortunate indeed to have had Army Chief of Staff, GEN Randy George and the Aviation General Officer Steering Committee (A-GOSC) join us again this year at that dinner.

In support of our AAAA Support pillar, remember that the Scholarship Foundation’s application process is now open. See the website for application process details quad-a.org/scholarship.  This incredible program grants over $600,000 each year to our Soldiers and Families for higher education. It is certainly one of our greatest AAAA membership benefits.

And remember, the Cribbins Readiness Conference is coming up in Huntsville, AL, in November and the Luther G. Jones Army Aviation Depot Forum in December in Corpus Christi, TX. We hope to see you there!

MG Walt Davis, U.S. Army Retired
36th President, AAAA
walt.davis@quad-a.org

U.S. Army PEO Aviation Showcases Future Long Range Assault Aircraft to 25th Combat Aviation Brigade

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – The U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) is set to deliver a transformational capability for ground forces and aircrews alike. With enhanced speed and improved range, FLRAA accomplishes the mission twice as far and twice as fast, creating multiple dilemmas for the enemy, expanding the depth of the battlefield and extending the reach of air assault missions. Its design allows for rapid exploitation of freedom of maneuver, enabling decentralized operations across vast distances. With unmatched reach and standoff capabilities, FLRAA will ensure mission success through tactical maneuvering at both operational and strategic levels. As the Army transforms to meet an uncertain future, FLRAA is one of the many modernized capabilities paving the way for the Army of 2030 and beyond.

FLRAA Mockup Demonstrated to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade

In line with this vision, U.S. Army PEO Aviation recently visited the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, to showcase a mockup of the FLRAA cabin. The event provided a unique opportunity for the 25th CAB’s flight crews to experience the cutting-edge platform and offer critical aviation-based feedback on the aircraft’s design and functionality. On site for the demonstrations was Jason P. Lucas, Deputy Project Manager for the FLRAA. Lucas expressed his enthusiasm for the project, saying “FLRAA is really the Army’s next generation utility and assault aircraft. We’re really focused on doing two key things: twice as far and twice as fast.”

Augmented Reality Brings FLRAA to Life

The centerpiece of the showcase was a FLRAA cabin mockup, equipped with augmented reality (AR) glasses that superimposed a complete virtual model of the aircraft over the physical mockup. This immersive technology allowed pilots and flight crews to visualize the full scope of the FLRAA’s capabilities, from its seating configuration and controls to its storage and maneuverability within the cabin.

Soldiers Provide Critical Feedback

Multiple flight crews from the 25th CAB, as well as infantry soldiers from 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) cycled through the mockup, providing valuable insight on everything from ergonomic design to mission-based functionality. The interactive experience gave crews the chance to walk through air assault scenarios and adapt their feedback in real-time using the AR technology.

25th Infantry Division light fighter infantry soldiers expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to test out the FLRAA’s features. “This exercise is important for my soldiers.” said Sgt. 1st Class Jack N. Young, a platoon sergeant with 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd IBCT. “By the time this aircraft is fully fielded, my soldiers who are testing this today will be leaders, and for them to have the opportunity down the road to say that they personally assisted with the development of this aircraft that will have revolutionized air assault operations is truly just phenomenal.”

Soldier Input Shapes the Future of FLRAA

PEO Aviation representatives noted that the input from experienced flight crews like those in the 25th CAB is vital for refining the FLRAA platform. “I think the soldiers who tested the platform today really appreciate that tilt rotor technology is the necessary technology to get us to that twice as far, twice as fast aspect of an assault aircraft” said Col. Jeffrey A. Poquette, FLRAA Project Manager. “The other thing that I think they (flight crews) truly appreciate is the ability to enhance the features that matter to them. What they think about is where are the controls, are they easy to get to, can they get in and out of their seats quickly, can they get off the aircraft without tripping and falling. So, this soldier evaluation is really about seat configuration and the ergonomics of getting off the aircraft and on the aircraft as quickly as possible in a tactical environment.”

FLRAA and the Future of Army Aviation in the Indo-Pacific

As the Army continues to modernize its aviation fleet, events like this underscore the importance of collaboration between developers and the warfighters who will employ the technology in future conflicts. The feedback from the 25th CAB will play a crucial role in ensuring that the FLRAA platform is mission-ready, providing the Army with the speed, range, and operational flexibility needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving battlespace. Following the visit, Col. Matthew J. Scher, commander of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, conveyed his excitement for the new platform and his appreciation towards the team who brought it all the way to Hawaii for the demonstration, saying “We are excited to be able to provide feedback into the design of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and grateful to the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team (FVL CFT) and PEO Aviation for inviting us to participate.” Scher went on to indicate that this new platform possesses special relevance to the Indo-Pacific: “This platform is ideally suited for Army aviation operations in the Pacific Theater, where vertical lift with extended range and speed provides a critical capability to our land forces, particularly in operations along island chains and archipelagos.”

The U.S. Army PEO Aviation’s visit to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade provided an invaluable opportunity for soldiers to engage directly with the FLRAA platform and offer critical feedback. The interaction between developers and flight crews underscores the Army’s commitment to ensuring that its next-generation aircraft meets the demands of modern warfare, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. As the Army continues its modernization efforts, the FLRAA will be instrumental in enhancing air assault capabilities and maintaining a tactical advantage in future conflicts.

Special Thanks
The author and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations for their support and contributions to the FLRAA project:
• DEVCOM Soldier Effectiveness Directorate (SED)
• Redstone Test Center (RTC)
• DEVCOM Analysis Center (DAC)
• Cross Functional Team (CFT)
• Aviation – Capability Development Integration Directorate (CDID)

FLRAA: The Future of Army Aviation is Here.

The Army Futures Command’s (AFC) Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Cross-Functional Team (CFT)’s 2024 iteration of the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE) concluded earlier this week after three weeks of experimentation.

EDGE 24 was deliberately smaller in scale than previous iterations of the event and focused on autonomous collaborative behaviors of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), launched effects (LE), and unmanned ground vehicles.

“Our specific experimental objective was learning how launched effect surrogates behave on a network and off a network,” said Brig. Gen. Cain Baker, FVL CFT Director. “Based off a simulated enemy threat array, we allowed the launched effect surrogates to operate on a network and pass information back at extended ranges, then deliberately removed the network to see if the autonomy could continue. We experimented with that very specifically and had a lot of success in the information we captured and the behaviors we saw from platforms from multiple vendors that were out here.”

The behaviors within launched effects provide a decisive advantage to ground commanders, giving them the capability to extend the range of sensing and use machines instead of Soldiers to make first contact with an adversary. The Army is rapidly integrating layered UAS and LE across formations in a combined arms fight that is synchronized with fires and maneuver across phases to penetrate, exploit, and defeat near-peer adversaries in a complex environment.

“We know looking into the future that we are going to be operating in congested airspace: there will be a number of friendly and adversary platforms that will exist in that space,” said Brig. Gen. William Parker, Director of the Air and Missile Defense CFT. “Reducing the cognitive burden on the operator and helping us deconflict what is in the air with respect to friendly and adversary capabilities will go a long way in how we fight that small UAS threat while protecting friendly UAS in that same airspace.”

The FVL CFT sees EDGE providing the Army Futures Command an experimentation and demonstration platform to help deliver the Army of 2030 and design of Army of 2040, and has chosen U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) as its venue for the last two years. The proving ground’s clear, stable air and extremely dry climate combined with an ability to control a large swath of the radio frequency spectrum makes it a desired location for the type of testing EDGE was interested in: counter-unmanned aircraft solutions, extending network access, and flying autonomous and semi-autonomous aircraft. YPG’s wealth of other infrastructure meant for other sectors of the post’s test mission were utilized to support the demonstration, including technical and tactical targets.

“YPG was essential for us to have the simulated threat array to conduct the experiment in at echelon that would replicate an enemy capability that we would potentially face in the future,” said Baker. “YPG has the air space that allows us to operate at the distances we need and the instrumentation to collect the data to inform our requirements from an analytical standpoint.”

YPG’s deep institutional knowledge allowed the participating industry partners to run complex test scenarios each day across three weeks of demonstrations, and the event paid dividends that could inform the Army for years to come. One industry partner exercised autonomous collaboration between an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) and an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) through real-time aerial mapping of an urban environment to deliver a recommended route for the UGV to follow. Another successfully executed an automated target hand off between a UAS with a radio frequency sensor and a UAS with an electro optical infrared sensor. The demonstration also saw a long-range data communications relay of over 250 miles to execute a strike from a surrogate lethal long range launched effect.

“We’re seeing autonomy advance year after year when we do events like EDGE and Project Convergence,” said Baker. “If we operate these effects en masse, how do we offload the requirements for operators to control from one controller to one vehicle versus one controller for multiple vehicles? How do we share information about the battlefield rapidly and accurately, and how do we do that at extended ranges so crews can maximize the mission set they’re faced with?”

California Army National Guard Soldiers from Company B, 1-126th Aviation Regiment deploy CH-47 Chinook helicopters to assist in the Line Fire response in the San Bernardino Mountains, California, on Sept. 15, 2024. With over 6,000 personnel on the ground, the Chinooks conduct water drops and troop transport, playing a vital role in protecting threatened communities as the fire continues to burn over 39,100 acres. (U.S. Army National Guard Video by Sgt. Joaquin D. Vasquez-Duran)

A Tennessee National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew chief, from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, monitors the wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, August 27.

U.S. Army Soldiers of the Arizona National Guard (AZNG) guide tourists into a UH-60 Blackhawk, August 24, 2024 at the Havasupai Indian Reservation.

The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs provided UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter support to evacuate 104 tourist and tribal members out of the canyon after flood waters impacted the Havasupai community and tourists visiting the Havasupai Falls. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Erin Hannigan)

Welcome to our annual Army Aviation “Blue Book” Directory issue that provides all of our members with an enormously broad perspective across the entire Army Aviation Enterprise. I know many look forward to this ‘one of a kind’ issue, as it serves as an invaluable resource of information about our Total Aviation force structure and personnel.

I’ll begin by informing you all that I had the privilege of representing our Association at several events recognizing and honoring our Aviation and Joint Force leaders. First, I thank our immediate past Branch Chief, MG Mac McCurry, for two great years working together with AAAA to make sure we were doing our best to support the Branch priorities and initiatives through our AAAA forums and activities. He and Sadie have been outstanding, and we look forward to their continued success at Army Futures Command. We are blessed as a force to have MG Clair Gill, our new Branch Chief, setting the path ahead; we look forward to working closely with him and his team at Fort Novosel to ensure AAAA is synchronized in our support of the Branch. Next, a huge thank you to MG Tom O’Connor, the now former AMCOM Commanding General, who has transitioned to become Director of Force Development for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8. MG O’Connor has always been an ardent supporter of our Association and his commitment to our Mission is second to none. We are so grateful to have MG Lori Robinson taking the AMCOM reins and look forward to working with her and the AMCOM team in support of their sustainment and readiness mission. And finally, to another outstanding advocate and supporter of AAAA and our most senior Army Aviator, GEN Dan Hokanson, now the former Chief of the National Guard Bureau, was honored twice for his incredible lifetime of service at retirement ceremonies at Fort Myer and in Medford, Oregon (where he served many years as the Oregon Adjutant General). All three were inducted into the Gold Order of St. Michael!

By the time you read this, AAAA will already be well into our busy season of events. Starting with the Army Aviation Survivability Forum that ran from September 15-17 in Huntsville, AL; followed by the Cribbins Readiness Conference, November 11-13 back in Huntsville, AL; the Luther G. Jones Army Aviation Depot Forum, December 10-11 in Corpus Christi, TX; and of course the upcoming annual AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit, May 14-16, 2025 in Nashville, TN.

I have been asked from time to time, why does AAAA do all this? As you can imagine there is a ton of work with all the logistics, planning, and execution involved in all of them. And, with the exception of the big Annual Summit, the other events barely break even or sometimes even run at a loss especially post COVID with huge increases in hotel, food, and audio-visual charges. So again, why do we do all this?

The answer is in our Mission Statement, “AAAA: Supporting the U.S. Army Aviation Soldier and Family.” These events go back long before COVID. The Cribbins event dates from the 1970s, and Survivability from the 1980s are two examples. They along with the Summit that began in 1959 were and are what today we now call “Networking” opportunities for the whole community to gather around a particular subject like Depot Maintenance in the Luther Jones case or the entire spectrum of Army Aviation in the case of the Summit.

What these other smaller events have yielded are significant real-world impacts to our war-fighting Soldiers ranging from improved ballistic protection, to proliferation of unique equipment from the Special Operations world to Big Army, to making sure that Depot capabilities are understood by our major units in the field, and lessons learned in classified sessions for our government and industry partners at the Survivability Forum. You can’t measure the lives saved and successful operations that these events have contributed to, but believe me, they are real.

Together with “Networking,” the other three pillars that support our Mission Statement are Recognition, Voice, and Support. Each of these are also on display at every one of these events especially the “Recognition” pillar with our AAAA Awardees featured at each event from the UAS Soldier of the Year, to Air-Sea Rescue and Fixed Wing Unit awards.

You simply cannot beat the benefits of face-to-face engagements with your peers, Army Aviation leadership, and Industry Partners as we all work together to keep Army Aviation at the tip of the spear of our nation’s Land Warfare capability.

MG Walt Davis, U.S. Army Retired
36th President, AAAA
walt.davis@quad-a.org

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard “Trey” McCormick of Springfield, Illinois, serving with Detachment 5, A Company, 2nd Battalion 245th Aviation Regiment based in Springfield, Illinois, took his final flights on September 6 in a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter and a Beechcraft C-12 Heron, marking the end of a distinguished aviation career in the Illinois Army National Guard. Family and friends gathered at the airfield to witness the occasion.

McCormick, a Sacred Heart-Griffin High School graduate, began his military service in June 1995 with the active-duty Army. He transitioned to the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2000. In addition to his military service, McCormick retired from the Springfield Fire Department six years ago and currently works full-time for Envoy Air out of Chicago.

“I haven’t slowed down enough to really think about retirement yet,” McCormick said. “I’m still working with Envoy, and my oldest son, who is a Chief Warrant Officer 2, flies the Chinook now and then. I also have two kids in high school.”

McCormick began his military career as an 11 Bravo infantryman and was assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield from 1995 to 1998. He later became a CH-47 pilot for 18 years and a C-12 pilot for six years. Notably, he deployed to Afghanistan several times, with his 2009 missions to Combat Outpost Keating and Afghanistan being among his most memorable experiences.

Reflecting on his career, McCormick offered advice to soldiers considering a future in aviation with the Illinois Army National Guard. “Now’s the time because there are openings,” he said. “It’s as awesome as it looks. I enjoyed every moment.”

Lucas Bohm, a fellow pilot and long-time friend from Havana, Illinois, praised McCormick’s skill and character. “I’ve known Trey since the day he joined,” Bohm said. “We’ve flown on a lot of missions together, both overseas and in domestic operations. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known and an incredible pilot.”

Bohm recalled missions where they flew Chinooks for flood relief efforts, levee-building, and fire-fighting. Despite Bohm’s retirement, their bond remains strong.

“Trey just has a knack for it. His personality is like a magnet; everyone wants to be around him,” Bohm added.
Anthony McCormick of Chatham, Illinois, serving with the B Company, 238th Aviation in Peoria, Illinois, said him and his father have flown a few times together since he joined the Illinois Army National Guard six years ago. Anthony’s father Chief Warrant Officer 4 McCormick gave his son some advice when he entered the ILARNG.

“I told him at the beginning of being a soldier is pretty easy. If you get a 300 on your PT test, you show up on time ready to work, and you work hard, take instruction. Then the military is going to lay the world out in front of you,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 McCormick. “If you’re the soldier that a commander wants, he’s going to let you do whatever you want.”

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Childers, a colleague from Jacksonville, Illinois, commended McCormick’s calm demeanor in high-stress situations.

“He’s great in the cockpit—calm in the storm,” Childers said. “When things go south, his demeanor doesn’t change. He’s just a solid pilot.”
McCormick plans to continue his aviation career with American Airlines starting in March, and he looks forward to flying until he’s 65. His over 29 years of service include deployments to Djibouti, Africa (2019-2020), and Afghanistan (2009, 2013-2014, and 2017).