Crew chief meets childhood hero at Hill

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stefanie Torres
  • 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFPN) --  "Okay buddy, how do you read me?"

That simple phrase may not mean a lot to the average person, but for Airman 1st Class Jeremy Meyers, hearing it from his hero was unforgettable.

"It's such a small world. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would be stationed with one of my heroes," Airman Meyers said.

Airman Myers, a 34th Fighter Squadron crew chief and Washington native, went to air shows as a kid, but it was the pilot in one show that drove him to the military.

"I had seen air stunts before, but that was the first time I saw an F-16 demo. I became completely fascinated. The pilot was incredible and even had a cool name that I couldn't forget," he said.

The name he was speaking of is Lt. Col. Kurt Gallegos, who at the time of the air show was the captain of the Viper West F-16 demonstration team at Hill Air Force Base.

"It was the moment I saw Colonel Gallegos perform all those maneuvers in the sky that I knew I wanted to work on the F-16," he said. "He became my hero."

Airman Meyers continued to follow air shows and military aviation until he joined the Air Force after high school.

Even though they did not officially meet at the air show 12 years ago, the pilot's name and flight had a great impact on Airman Meyers.

The crew chief has been stationed at Hill for 13 months, but discovered just months ago Colonel Gallegos was also stationed here.

While speaking to Capt. Russ Piggot, the current F-16 demo team pilot, Airman Meyers heard the news.

"I told Capt. Piggot about the moment I wanted to join the Air Force, and he is the one who told me the colonel is flying here."

The two first met for more than twenty minutes on the flightline when Airman Meyers received word Colonel Gallegos would be flying that day.

"It was like meeting Superman for me," he said.

They have kept in touch since the first meeting.

"We send each other an e-mail occasionally to see how everything is going," said Airman Meyers. "He has been very active in my life, and he was very excited to know that I remembered who he was when I was a kid."

"We have this honor and pride as crew chiefs and pilots to work together. To finally meet someone like (Lt. Col.) Gallegos can't even be described," said Airman Meyers.

Now that Airman Meyers was able to meet Colonel Gallegos, he was also given the opportunity to work as his crew chief for the day. His girlfriend of seven months knew how excited he was for this moment.

"Since meeting him in person, he's been raving about him," Ashley Kerns said.

"He was as happy as a kid at Chucky Cheese's," she said.

"Since the colonel was flying with the 421st Fighter Squadron, I was able to launch his jet from there, which is something I have always wanted to do," Airman Meyers said.

"This is definitely the highlight of my career so far, even though I haven't even been in that long," he said. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to shake his hand or salute him to show the respect I have for him."

Colonel Gallegos is a Reservist with the 419th Fighter Wing and trains with the 421st Fighter Squadron.

Reserve pilots and maintainers from the 419th FW now work alongside active duty Airmen from the 388th FW as part of the Air Force's Total Force Integration initiative aimed at increasing combat capabilities and efficiencies among like units. Total Force Integration between Hill's fighter wings is one of the Air Force's test cases for future fighter associate programs. 

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