Spouses see C-130, Wing missions up close

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
  • 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Spouses of 302nd Airlift Wing members took to the Colorado skies Aug. 7 during a Wing Spouse's Orientation Flight here.

Sponsored by the 302nd AW's Human Resources Development Council, the event, dedicated to spouses of Air Force Reservists, included flights onboard the wing's C-130 Hercules. More than 50 spouses took advantage of the opportunity to see and learn more about the Reserve organization their significant others are assigned to. Col. James Van Housen, 302nd Maintenance Group commander, said his hope for the day was that spouses would get to understand more about the Air Force Reserve and what duties their military spouse performs in the unit.

"These flights are all about letting our spouses know we appreciate them and their support," said Van Housen, the lead coordinator for the spouse's flight and member of HRDC. "We care about the families and, ultimately, we care about the reservists. We want to make sure we have a strong Reserve, so taking care of the families is about keeping the Reserve strong."

The day's flights took the spouses over one of Colorado's most famous landmarks: Pikes Peak. During the approximately 45 minute flight, the spouses got to see, firsthand, how the aircraft's flight crew worked together to accomplish a typical training mission flying in southern Colorado.

One of the flight's passengers, Sherry Howell, joked that the response to her husband after being offered to fly on the Hercules was "are you kidding me? YES!"

"When my husband told me about this, I was so excited about flying," Howell said, who is married to Tech. Sgt. Stephen Howell of the 302nd Security Forces Squadron."We see them flying around our house a lot and I thought it would be interesting to see what the troops and soldiers go through. Also, flying on board one of these [aircraft] make you feel a part of the unit."

Sanjiv Gupta, the husband of Lt. Col. Ratna Gupta, 302nd AW staff judge advocate, said the flight was a "once in a lifetime experience."

It was really incredible," Gupta said. "The loadmasters were great. The pilot came down and gave us an idea of what to expect. It was really bumpy, but we got to see out the back windows. It was really cool."

Before getting on board, Gupta said he wasn't so sure about the flight after the impressions his wife had placed in his mind.

"My wife had me frightened! She told me it was going to be hot and bouncy and to make sure I was on the flightdeck the whole time. After getting on, though, it was much more comfortable than I was led to believe. For service personnel to travel 12 to 18 hours overseas in those things, that's definitely not the most comfortable way to travel long distances."

Howell said she thought the spouse's fight was a great opportunity because she doesn't think a lot of spouses know what wing members do on a daily basis.

"I think (the 302nd Airlift Wing) cares about the soldiers," she said. "I also think they try to include the family members in events, like this flight and Family Day. I would encourage anyone to do this."