Veteran aviator continues to spread his wings

Meet sixty-two year old Tim Carey, retired United States Air Force pilot and aviation enthusiast who is certainly not showing any signs of slowing down.

Born in Honolulu and raised in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., Carey always knew he wanted to fly.

“Like many boys of my generation, I was fascinated with airplanes and aviation. My father worked for North American Aviation in the L.A. area while I was growing up and we always had airplane models and photos around the house. I also grew up hearing his stories about being aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Itasca and on Howland Island as an AP reporter, listening to Amelia Earhart on the radio as she and Fred Noonan were trying to find the island near the end of her around-the-world flight,” Carey said.

Carey spent 30 years active duty in the U.S. Air Force, first as a cadet and then in commissioned service as a pilot and fighter staff officer. After pilot training, he wanted combat experience, and volunteered for duty as a forward air controller in Vietnam.

“My most memorable missions in Vietnam centered around breaking the North Vietnamese siege of An Loc, a provincial capital just 55 miles north of Saigon,” he said.

Carey flew 240 combat missions, and for his heroic efforts was presented Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry with Silver Star and Bronze Star by Vietnamese General Officers; two U.S. Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 15 Air Medals.

When asked what it means to him to be a veteran, Carey replied, “I believe America, though certainly not perfect, has set the example for human rights and personal freedom throughout the world, and has helped tens of millions of others achieve similar rights and freedoms. That has sometimes required going to war against truly evil governments and dictators.

“We now know that our bitter experience in Vietnam helped stop the expansion of Communist dictatorships throughout Asia; I’m also proud to have served two fighter assignments in Europe during the Cold War, where NATO armed forces stood up to an aggressive and frightening Communist movement, until it finally collapsed on its own.

A quote [from Ronald Reagan] I came across recently sums up American military service for me:

‘Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But the U.S. ARMED FORCES don't have that problem.’”

After his second retirement from Northrop Grumman, and 13 years out of the cockpit, Carey wanted to get back to his aviation roots and do something useful. He became a civilian flight instructor at Manassas Regional Airport, and also joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), a congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary to the United States Air Force.

CAP volunteer members play a leading role in air and ground search and rescue operations, disaster relief, aerospace education, and serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the cadet program.

When Carey is not training student pilots or doing aerobatics in his experimental tail dragger aircraft, he volunteers and serves as operations officer for the Prince William Composite Squadron in Manassas. In this role he plans and conducts training, in addition to participating in a range of actual CAP missions. He especially enjoys helping train U.S. Air Force pilots responsible for Homeland Security missions in the National Capitol region. Volunteering has added to Carey’s personal life by allowing him to reconnect with former military personnel and pilots from all backgrounds who share the same joy of flying, and to work with motivated and dedicated CAP volunteers and their families.

In 2008, when U.S. Forest Service fire fighters in Suffolk were battling the Dismal Swamp fires, Carey along with other CAP crewmembers was there to help maintain communications. In this mission, CAP installed communication repeaters in their aircraft that allowed fire fighters in the field to maintain continuous radio contact with their Forest Service headquarters. In another memorable mission, Carey helped provide communication-relay assistance to Virginia rescue teams in a successful effort to locate a missing hiker in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  In this case, Carey maintained direct radio contact with eight separate teams on a 6-hour mission, while they searched assigned Blue Ridge grids in pitch-black darkness.

When asked what advice he could give to people over 50 who are looking to get involved in community service, he jokingly said as if he was not over 50, “I can’t answer that question.” On a genuine note he replied, “Find satisfying volunteer work that links together your experience, skills, and personal passions. It’s a time in our lives when we can contribute, while doing what we want to do, not what we have to do.”

For more information on Civil Air Patrol activities and how you can get involved in your area, visit gocivilairpatrol.com or contact Al Bergeron at alberic_bergeron@yahoo.com.

-- Prince William Composite Squadron