General Benson speaks to Class 15-09

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Bolinger
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A former commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing was the key note speaker at the graduation ceremony for Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 15-09, May 21.

Retired Brig. Gen. Bryan Benson, who served as the Vance base commander from February 2005 to September 2006, shared his advice for a successful career with the Air Force's newest pilots.

"America doesn't need average, we need all-stars," said Benson to the graduates, as he shared a story about "Dude Zero-One" an F-15 Strike Eagle flown by Capt. Mike Polidor, who provided close air support for 72 Soldiers being overrun at Combat Outpost Keating, Nuristan province, Afghanistan, Oct. 3, 2009.

At the time, Benson was the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, based in Southwest Asia.

Known as The Battle of Kamdesh, 300 Taliban fighters attacked the outpost. Two soldiers earned Medals of Honor for their actions on the ground, and eight aviators earned Distinguished Flying Crosses for helping defend the base.

In 2004, Polidor graduated from the Air Force Academy, and in 2005, 10 years ago, he was standing in this auditorium, a graduate of Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, said Benson. In 2009, he was sitting on the flightline at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, preparing to take off for a different mission, when they were retasked to support the Soldiers under fire at COP Keating.

Polidor arrived on station, dropped his ordnance, and then stayed in the area to coordinate airstrikes from 19 other aircraft for a majority of the battle.

All of those men on the ground were counting on that air support, and not just "Dude Zero-One," but "Whistler 54," an AWACS team helping with the command and control of the airplanes, said Benson.

"We had three KC-135 (Stratotankers) and a KC-10 (Extender) there to support," said Benson, as he highlighted the aircraft and missions supporting the battle while calling out the names of the graduates who would be flying the same airframes. "Three of you are going to fly KC-135s, are you ready?"

"We had C-5 (Galaxies) that were flying in MRAP, these vehicles that help us survive IEDs," he said. "We had to send in MRAPs to extract the wounded and the dead."

"We had a Raven flying. An RC-135 providing us ISR support and letting us know what our neighbors were doing," said Benson.

U-28s were flying ISR support for Special Forces teams who were in route to provide support, he said. C-130s and C-17s were waiting on the tarmac at Bagram to take wounded service members to Germany for further treatment, or fly combat support airdrops.

"Are you ready?" he continued to ask the pilots who were about to receive their wings.

"It might appear that I have forgotten two individuals, who might have the most critical job," said Benson to the two First Assignment Instructor Pilots selected from Class 15-09. "Lieutenant Reed, Lieutenant Reingold, in the back, that (new) class ... is trying to be in your seats. How good they're going to be in the future, to rise up and be those Mike Polidors, is a direct relation to how much effort you put in now."

Are you ready, he asked again.

"You have an option when you are sitting in that flight planning room while you are talking amongst yourselves," said Benson in his final remarks.

You have an option to read Time magazine, or read the Dash One, he said. You can study intelligence, or you can watch something else. You can go surf for the weekend, or you can study your trade craft.

"Enjoy today. Celebrate today," said Benson. "Realize that tomorrow there is a 20 year old with a rifle out there somewhere depending on you for his tomorrows."