My training mission for today got changed following getting tasked with a replacement mission that I've been doing planning for over the weekend.
Today will be the funeral for LtCol Ken Bourland, USAF. Bourland was in the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 12 Jan and perished in the collapse of the structure during last months earthquake. A Major at the time (posthumously promoted), Bourland worked for US Southern Command and had traveled to Haiti that day to attend training. He had just emailed his wife minutes prior to the quake occurring. His body was found last week.
A native of Alabama, Bourland's funeral services and burial will be held at the Alabama National Cemetary in Montevallo, just south of Birmingham at 1330L today.
LtCol Bourland was a career USAF UH-1N Huey pilot. As such, and seeing as how the unit I'm TDY with now is the closest USAF UH-1 unit to the services site, we've been tasked to perform the formation flyover this afternoon following the presentation of honors and the folding of the flag. I was given the honor of being the wing-helo for the flyover today, along with the boss.
Having perfromed 3 of these before in my career (1 funeral and 2 sporting events...though its been over 6 years), I'd forgotten just how much planning it takes to insure every single detail is completed, and every T crossed and I dotted. Planning to the n'th degree thats well worth every minute it takes to insure the timing goes without a hitch, and proper flight discipline to insure that there is absolutely zero slop in the formation work. For something like this, anything less than perfection is entirely unacceptable.
Today will be the funeral for LtCol Ken Bourland, USAF. Bourland was in the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 12 Jan and perished in the collapse of the structure during last months earthquake. A Major at the time (posthumously promoted), Bourland worked for US Southern Command and had traveled to Haiti that day to attend training. He had just emailed his wife minutes prior to the quake occurring. His body was found last week.
A native of Alabama, Bourland's funeral services and burial will be held at the Alabama National Cemetary in Montevallo, just south of Birmingham at 1330L today.
LtCol Bourland was a career USAF UH-1N Huey pilot. As such, and seeing as how the unit I'm TDY with now is the closest USAF UH-1 unit to the services site, we've been tasked to perform the formation flyover this afternoon following the presentation of honors and the folding of the flag. I was given the honor of being the wing-helo for the flyover today, along with the boss.
Having perfromed 3 of these before in my career (1 funeral and 2 sporting events...though its been over 6 years), I'd forgotten just how much planning it takes to insure every single detail is completed, and every T crossed and I dotted. Planning to the n'th degree thats well worth every minute it takes to insure the timing goes without a hitch, and proper flight discipline to insure that there is absolutely zero slop in the formation work. For something like this, anything less than perfection is entirely unacceptable.
Go make him proud.