The Fleet Takes Off!

As Col. Keith P. Boone put it, who took over the command from Col. John D. Zazworsky, his predecessor in June this year: although this unit is comprised of the soldiers of twelve nations, the mission and the goal always remains the same: to forward quickly and precisely the cargo to the appointed destination.

It seems so easy, doesn’t it? But if – the colonel gives us an insight into the everyday life of the air transport service – a human life depends on let’s say whether the pilot can perform the air-to-air refuelling successfully; or when food, drinking water, equipment supplies saving lives must be forwarded in due time to starving people, or to territories hit by natural disasters, then perhaps we can see a more nuanced picture.

But how is it possible to forge a cohesive community from such a special, multinational military organisation? “Respect and understanding constitute the basis for all. We have to respect one another, and we must know that the soldiers of each nation can enrich the Wing with their own different values and attitudes" – the Commander pointed out.

It is an enormous recognition for Hungary, and within that for the town of Pápa, that this aerodrome was selected by the competent authorities some years ago to serve as the Base of the Wing.

It is an even greater recognition, however that the Wing has a Hungarian pilot in the person of 1st Lt. Viktor Lukács – not every nation taking part in the program can say this about themselves. The First Lieutenant was assigned to the Wing on the proposal of the superiors, in the summer of 2010, and since the completion of the obligatory three and a half month retraining course for the type in the US, he is strengthening the unit. “I have flown with him, and Victor has outstanding qualities, he does a perfect work. But the same holds true of all the other pilots, loadmasters and the auxiliary personnel" as Keith P. Boon characterised the First Lieutenant.

The Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) program is based on the exemplary co-operation of the following nations: Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States of America.

Photoes: Veronika Dévényi

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