Aircrews fly west to deliver supplies down range during volcanic eruption

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Timm Huffman
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  While the volcano in Iceland spewed ash into the air, shutting down air travel across Europe in May, the war on terror raged on and troops on the ground still needed supplies and cargo.

     That's why several recent C-5 airlift missions took Westover crews westward, some of them circumnavigating the globe.

     For Maj. Scott Kuhrt, the aircraft commander on one of these trips around the world, the unusual mission was doubly memorable. That's because he was informed of his selection to the rank of major and, in a time-honored pilot tradition, would come home with a shaved head.

     As Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) filled flight paths over Europe with a heavy cloud of tiny volcanic particles, the crew of eight departed the Patriot wing, headed west and across the Pacific into the area of responsibility (AOR).

     According to Capt. Jonathan Beale, a supporting pilot on the mission, west-bound trips take about twice as long as going through Europe and require a number of additional stops through the Pacific Ocean.

     It was at one of the extra stops that Major Kuhrt heard the news of his selection for promotion. The new major said he had no idea the promotion was going to happen during the mission.

     "I had the promotion board in February and the six to eight week time frame for hearing back was past. The career enhancement office said the system was all backed up. I wasn't expecting it to happen," Major Kuhrt said.

     Being selected to the rank of major is a milestone in the career progression of a military officer. For the first time since commissioning the officer meets a selection board and is "racked and stacked" against his and her peers. The progression in rank from captain to major is also a transition from the company grade officer to field grade officer level where expectations, work load and responsibilities take on new forms.

     For Major Kuhrt, this promotion held extra significance because it was a "below the zone" promotion. Lt. Col. John Healy, the 337th Airlift Squadron commander, informed the major-select of the good news.

     "We were in Guam and I had a message to call [Colonel Healy]. When I did, he said I was out of uniform and I wasn't even thinking about the promotion. Then he said I made major."

     After giving the good news, Colonel Healy asked to be passed off to one of the crew members.

     "[Colonel Healy] asked us to make a concerted effort to influence the new major to shave his head in celebration as he started the newest chapter of his career," said
Captain Beale, who spoke to the colonel on the phone.

     The major-select did not concede to the crew's request, however, and they had to resort to other tactics to accomplish the mission, said Captain Beale.

     As the mission continued west from Guam, the crew remembered an old pilots tradition that says if it's a crew members first time flying around the world then the crew has to shave its head. For Captain Beale and several other members of the crew, they had never completed a point-to-point, around-the-world flight.

     The mission's cargo was slated to be delivered to Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, but an attack on that base added an extra day to their delivery time as they were re-routed a few times before they could land at that base.

     After they successfully delivered their cargo of Army equipment to Afghanistan and since the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland had dissipated, the C-5 flight home was re-routed across the Atlantic Ocean and back to Westover.

     "The crew, especially the seasoned pilots like Major Kuhrt, understood the unwritten rules of this change in plans," said Captain Beale. "The crew must shave their heads!"

     So, just before departing Naval Air Station Sigonella in Catania, Italy for the flight back to Westover, Major Kuhrt quietly excused himself to the barbershop. When he returned with a shaved head, the rest of the crew vowed to do the same once they reached home; two even shaved their heads on the flight back.

     Major Kuhrt, for whom it had been ten years since the last time he shaved his head in Officer Training School, said he questioned what he was doing as he walked into the barbershop but also excited for the change and to participate in the tradition.

     The newly promoted major summarized the mission, saying it was definitely very challenging because of occurrences with maintenance and operational issues and the extra length of the westward heading, but he added that it was a nice change of scenery to go through the Pacific region.