Page 170 - Never Fly Solo

12

Service Before Self

Lend a Wing to Help Others Fly

As a pilot in the 79th Fighter Squadron “Tigers” at Shaw Air
Force Base, South Carolina, I was assigned to be chief of
training and life support. Every fighter pilot in a fighter squad-
ron has an additional duty other than flying, and this was
mine. I was responsible for ensuring that the squadron’s fifty
pilots were up to speed with all facets of their training and
that their equipment functioned perfectly. Since we were the
most widely deployed squadron in the Air Force at the time,
this was a critical and extremely demanding job. Fortunately,
I had a wingman. His name was Sgt. Roy Summers, and I was
his boss.
A technical sergeant with approximately fifteen years of
service, Sergeant Summers was not an extraordinary soldier,
nor was he a standout performer. Quiet and reserved, he
opted to stay out of the spotlight. But when a job had to be
done and done right, Sergeant Summers was the man. An
amazingly hard worker, he knew how to inspect equipment
and flight gear like no one else. He was a pro, and I depended

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