Posted on 12/26/2019 9:51:40 PM PST by Jemian
FORT RUCKER Those who know him best in Army Aviation refer to him as a national treasure. Jack Holmes, a Vietnam veteran who retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, has been the G-3 installation air traffic and airspace official for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker for 30 years.
After half a century of combined active duty and Department of the Army civilian service, Holmes made his final flight, landing on Howze Field Dec. 19, closing the chapter in his life marked federal service. Today we witnessed the culmination of 50 years of active and federal civilian service in support of Army Aviators across the globe. Jack Holmes selfless service to his fellow aviation professionals and to this branch, and specifically what we do here at Fort Rucker, has been immeasurable and will have an impact for decades to come, said Maj. Gen. David J. Francis, commanding general, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker.
Holmes said he is grateful for the professional, mission-oriented comrades he has worked with at Fort Rucker. I have been incredibly blessed. We are family. Weve laughed a lot together. Theres been times weve cried together. I think that is a huge blessing, Holmes said. For me and my family, its time for me to retire. This season is over. During his tenure at G-3 Air, the U.S. Army Air Traffic Services Command recognized his office as having the best Airspace Management Program in the Army for more than five years.
I feel that I am not performing my job satisfactorily if we are not the best in the Army, Holmes said. The success story is not just mine. It is due to the professionalism of everyone involved in the flight training mission ...
(Excerpt) Read more at dothaneagle.com ...
I wish him the best in his future career! Where do we find such men?
Thank you for your service! Enjoy retirement!
Sincerest wishes for a great retirement sir, you have definitely EARNED it!
I’m trying to catch up. I’m at 48 years and 5 months combined to the Coast Guard. His statement of knowing when to retire because you know you aren’t able to perform anymore as well as the position needed, is also my standard.
I empathize with him and the end of the tunnel is away in short order.
Some of us find a job we love in the Army and just don’t want to stop doing it. And a continuing sense of duty and loyalty to fellow soldiers, beyond the date of getting our final DD 214.
Army aviation ping. 50 years of US Army and Dept of Army Civilian service.
How times changed. When I was in there was no Aviation Branch. Officer pilots were assigned to one of the other branches. We had some aviators doing company commands in my Armor battalion sweating bullets because if they didn’t have a successful command, i.e. become “branch qualified,” they would be kicked out of the post-Vietnam Army. Today’s structure makes way more sense.
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