Son's re-enlistment brings father back to Gunfighter territory

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  On March 11, prior Gunfighter, retired Maj. Billy White, returned to the 366th Fighter Wing to administer the oath of enlistment to a fellow Gunfighter - his son, Tech. Sgt. Brian White.

Sergeant White is a Strike 21 technician for the 366th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, where he conducts end-to-end testing of aging electronic warfare equipment. Major White was a Gunfighter 42 years ago, serving as an enlisted avionics technician for the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at DaNang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam.

Once the father found out his son was scheduled for what may be his final reenlistment, he jumped at the chance to administer the oath - an opportunity he said he could not pass up.

"It was poignant for me to re-enlist my son because I'm prior enlisted, and I too served with the 366th FW," Major White said. "I too was an avionics tech, and I worked for the same type of squadron he works for."

Another similarity between the father and son can be found in their work ethic. Sergeant White had a hand in implementing Strike 21, an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative to conduct end-to-end testing of aging electronic warfare radio frequency cabling and perform full spectrum threat analysis on the base's F-15Es. This initiative has improved the annual EW assessment scores from below 45 percent to greater than 80 percent, garnering Air Force and Department of Defense attention. He says his father worked at DaNang AB "right after they did the famous gunfighter mod which put gun pods on the F-4."

"As our wing motto says, 'Fortune favors the bold,'" Sergeant White said. "The 366th FW has never been shy about being innovative - whether it's the gun pods in Vietnam, the composite wing just a decade or so ago, or now this Strike 21 program. There's a lot of heritage with this wing. It's not something you feel, it's something you live."

Major White now works with the 59th Test and Evaluations Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., and Sergeant White is currently on his second tour at Mountain Home. When he originally received orders to the base, the sergeant had no idea he was about to follow his father's footsteps into Gunfighter territory. However, the Gunfighter heritage may be where their career similarities end.

While Major White rose out of the enlisted ranks to become a pilot, his son aspires to promote and become a first sergeant before he retires. Nonetheless, Sergeant White said he's honored his father was able to swear him in, and says he's proud of the Gunfighter heritage he and his father share.

"The Gunfighters' history is not just a story, it's a tradition," Sergeant White said. "That same mentality that put those gun pods on F-4s is the same mentality we have here at Strike 21 - an innovative way to solve problems."