Colonel Weimer savors long C-9 career

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  • 932nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Scott AFB, Ill. --  What inspired you to join the Air Force?
My four-year ROTC scholarship and that was one reason I joined the Air Force, for the education. I was commissioned in 1973, took an educational delay and got my master's degree. I started pilot training in July '75. After completing pilot training I got my first pick of airplanes, a C-9A based at Rhein Main Air Base, Germany. We had six airplanes, three for aeromedical evacuation and three for operations/admin support. Our mission covered Europe and North Africa, and we serviced military facilities and embassies with airlift. I was able to fly in and out of the Berlin Corridor and airlifted the ambassador in and out of Moscow during the Cold War. I also took Barbara Bush to Ghana. It was hard to leave Germany after six years because we got to travel so much.
My next assignment was to Andrews AFB, flying the C-9C and I spent six years there flying dignitaries throughout North and South America. I am a Midwestern boy and had more of a culture shock coming to the east coast than when I arrived in Germany; so when I was offered the job of C-9 Stan/Eval for Military Airlift Command (MAC) at Scott Air Force Base, I took it. (I was returning home, as I grew up in the Kirkwood -Glendale, Mo. area.)
I spent two years at MAC before an ART position opened up at the 932nd Aeromedical Airlift Group. I started as an ART in the 73rd Aeromedical Airlift Squadron in June 1990. In January 1998, I went to the Chief of Safety course and have been in safety ever since. Being on the wing staff has given me a much broader perspective of the 932nd Airlift Wing; I found out that there is more to this wing than just flying. Interacting with the rest of this wing as the Chief of Safety has also been an honor.
What led you to join the Air Force Reserve? Joining the Reserves has enabled me to stay in the Air Force over 35 years and allowed me to fly more than 12,000 hours. It has been a very nice ride.
What is the most memorable mission (s) you've flown during your career? I think that the aeromedical evacuation (aerovac) mission was the most rewarding part, and I did that for over 20 years. Airlifting the sick and wounded was very satisfying, even saving lives on urgent aerovacs. I have flown four First Ladies, two presidents to-be, a vice president, Cabinet members and several foreign heads of state. I was somewhat of a glorified bus driver. But, I must admit my career in the C-9 has been a satisfying and very pleasant one.
Which person(s) had a positive effect on your career? The person that had a positive effect on my career was Tom Eggers, one of my squadron commanders in Europe. He took such good care of his people that if you screwed up you were more worried about what would happen to the squadron commander than yourself. He retired as a major general.
What will you miss about the 932nd Airlift Wing? As I leave the 932 AW after over 20 years, I will most miss the people because we do have a motivated wing, dedicated to each of our career fields. Operationally, I am surprised, almost shocked, how we have taken non-air crew members and non-prior military, and trained them to be flight attendants. And, then watch them excel in the new mission of DV airlift. As I said, it's been a good ride. I tried to stay longer and retire with the C-9, but that didn't work.
What are your retirement plans? My plans in retirement are to do nothing organized until I get bored.