29 years farming and flying - he saw it all

  • Published
  • By Capt. Stan Paregien
  • 932nd Airlift Wing
Scott AFB, Ill. --  In 1967 with Vietnam under
way and a draft staring him in
the face, Tech. Sgt. Gary
Heuring did some research. 

He talked with his father's cousin who had been
in the Army, followed by the Army Air
Corps, and the cousin told him "go in
the Air Force for sure." 

So he went off to basic in 1967 and
then to aircraft maintenance school at
Wichita Falls, Texas. His first assignment was to England
AFB, La. 

He decided to get out of the military
in 1976, the bicentennial year, and
go into farming. Later on when his wife
Terrie got a job at Scott AFB, he applied
too and became an Air Reserve
Technician in 1987. 

In 2000, his farming operation expanded
and he decided to again devote
his primary time and land skills to farming
near Smithton, Ill.
He continued to be an Air Force
reservist, working in the flying crew
chief program with the aeromedical
evacuation mission on the C-9A. 

"I remember that day in
2005 when the C-9C plane arrived
and the excitement we all felt. I had seen
those planes 'new' in the 1970s out at
Andrews. Now, I am ending my
career flying on them," said Sergeant
Heuring.

The highlight of his career was flying
aboard the C-9C with the First Lady,
Laura Bush.
"I was out on my tractor one day
and the next day flying to Washington
D.C. The 932nd Airlift Wing provides
first-class flying for distinguished visitors,"
he said. 

Finishing his career after 29 years,
he is proud of the experience.
"It has been great to work at
Scott, and our Reserve folks in the wing
put in a lot of work. I would tell young
Airmen that if they have the chance to
become aircrew members and fly on the
C-9C or C-40C they should do it. 

"One of the most important things
I've learned in the Air Force is safety
and I really pushed that with my kids
and the men at the farm. You can replace
your machinery, but you can't
replace your life," said Sergeant
Heuring.