SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- NASCAR driver Joey Logano visited Shaw Air Force Base to meet men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as fly in an F-16D Fighting Falcon, on May 7.
Logano spent the day at Shaw AFB, receiving medical clearance, pre-flight training, equipment fitting and a mission briefing prior to his flight, and afterwards hosted a meet and greet where he took photos and signed memorabilia for Team Shaw personnel.
“I can’t put it into words what my day was like today,” said Logano. “It was incredible. To come to Shaw AFB here and get to meet a lot of the men and women who fight for our freedom is always an honor. But then when you get the opportunity to fly in an F-16 - I mean, that’s just my dream come true territory for sure.”
Shaw is home to not only the 20th Fighter Wing - the largest active-duty combat F-16 wing in the U.S. - but also headquarters such as U.S. Army Central, U.S. Air Forces Central, and tenant units like the 25th Attack Group. The wide range of missions performed at Shaw offers a multitude of experiences for service members to develop and thrive while serving here, both personally and professionally.
“At the end of the day, it was an honor and a privilege for all of Team Shaw to show what they do,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Trueblood, 77th Fighter Squadron commander and Logano’s pilot for the day. “I think you can see everybody is excited. When you have a legend like Joey come in with the humility and approachability that he has, it’s just awesome. It’s infectious throughout the entire organization.”
Logano’s visit to Shaw was important not only to those who were able to meet him, but for the U.S. Air Force as a whole, which aims to recruit and develop a diverse force with the skills and creativity to deliver winning airpower any time, any place.
“The biggest benefit with Joey coming, or any celebrity, is just getting viewers to see what we do here at Team Shaw,” said Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Griste, 20th FW command chief. “Any bit of education that we can give, because a lot of people don't know … what exactly we do. So, any time we get a chance to, in this case, put a celebrity in the jet, it opens up a whole different world … to show what we do.”