Thunderbird No. 1 makes a Cooper homecoming

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  With a loud, "Good morning, Cougs!" greeting from the leader of the U.S. Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, Thunderbird No. 1 was welcomed home with the applause of a few hundred students from Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, May 1.

The commander of the Thunderbirds, Lt. Col. Chris Hammond, returned to the high school he graduated from in 1994, along with a handful of other members from his team, to discuss opportunities the Air Force has afforded them during their careers. The Thunderbirds visited the school as part of their community outreach for the Dyess Big Country Airfest, which was held at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas,May 2 and 3.

Abilene, Hammond said to the students, holds a number of important ties for the Thunderbird commander. For one, he meet his wife in the very same auditorium the where students assembled in Cooper High School to meet the commander and his teammates. He also recalled never seeing a more amazing and supportive community than Abilene.

"My dad deployed to Desert Storm while I was a freshman in high school, and that wasn't very easy. But I remember when he came back, when I was standing out on the ramp at Dyess to welcome him home, that the whole City of Abilene was there to welcome him back, too," Hammond said. "You don't realize the incredible support and the incredible relationship that Abilene and Dyess Air Force Base have. That support is something I have not seen anywhere else while serving in the Air Force and across our nation, so I thank all of you for being a part of that."

During the commander's time with the students he spoke about why he joined the Air Force, and offered advice from things he has learned since graduating from Cooper High School.

"Never, never, never quit," Hammond told the students as he gave them advice. "If you have a dream, then you need to go after it."

Cooper Senior, Bryan Stuart, who himself is a military dependent and projected to go to Air Force basic training in a few months, was inspired by the meeting with Hammond. Stuart said he was really happy to have a chance to meet a group of sharp Air Force personnel to model himself after when he joins active duty.

"It was amazing to me to see and hear the progress [Hammond] made during his rough start to high school and then make it the Air Force Academy and then eventually represent the Air Force with the Thunderbirds," Stuart said. "It was even better knowing he did it graduating from the same high school and being a part of a military family like myself."

Future Air Force Airman Sue-Anne Amador-Crazo, was also was impressed with what the commander and his Airmen had to offer the future Cooper graduates through their stories.

"To me, to hear that even from a small place like Abilene, you can make your own path and have a successful career in the Air Force was pretty cool," Amador-Crazo said.

For the commander, the opportunity to come home was great, but he said it was even better to hear the feedback from the students.

"It was a great experience to come back, as there were a lot of people who were interested in the Air Force and had great questions for us as well," Hammond said. "Coming back, obviously, exposed me to a lot of fond memories, but it's continuing to see that incredible support from the Abilene community that really stands out. To be here in Abilene and represent all of our Veterans, Airmen and to all the students here who have family members in the military, we are honored and humbled to be a part of that."

Besides visiting Cooper, the Thunderbirds also visited students at the Abilene Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science, and met with Make-A-Wish participants from across West Texas May 1, after their practice performance for airshow activities at Dyess.