Success Stories - Johnathan Paul '01
Every Day Soldier
Getting out of high school seems to be such a big task as a teenager. Life after school is sure to be better and the prospect of college or going into the work force far outweighs the life of a senior high student.
For Jon Paul, a 2001 graduate of UBCS, the next step after school was entering the United States Air Force to live out a dream of working on F-15 fighter jets. That dream became reality when he entered boot camp on July 31, 2001 in San Antonio, Texas. His decision soon brought life into perspective. Drill sergeants, the shrill of the dreaded whistle, hair cuts way above the ears and off the collar, early morning physical training, and no place to call your own, soon became what was ‘sure to be better than high school‘. “I went into the military for the primary reason of training for a career. I never thought that I would go into battle,” stated Jon.
Everything changed in the few short months after boot camp began. The terrorist attacks on September 11th quickly changed the future days of Jon’s military life. What once was a career mode was instantly configured into war mode.
Jon graduated from boot camp just 3 days after the 9/11 attacks and was sent to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. While on a temporary duty assignment in Las Vegas, Jon’s group got the call that they were soon to be deployed.
Departure for an unknown destination was set for February 15th to prepare for “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. The flight was full of young and seasoned military men “pumped up and ready to put to test all of the training that they had been taught,” stated Jon. “There is great pride and responsibility that comes with doing what you believe in. Actually going to war was an amazing thought -- definitely got you out of your comfort zone.”
When his team landed, they were stationed at Prince Sulton Air Base in Saudi Arabia along with 5,000 other troops in a one square mile facility. They were quickly deployed to Tabuk, where their mission was to build a “tent city” to house 1,800 troops and get the airfield ready for the F-15s that would be part of the air raids in Iraq.
On March 15th, orders came that the next day would mark the beginning of the war. Reality set in. The days ahead were going to be anything but routine, and the prospect of being a target was a sobering thought. “That night, no one slept. We sat around in our eight-man tent, dressed in full uniform, boots laced and tied tight. Stories were filled with childhood memories and thoughts of friends and family that were back home.” The next morning, the six-days-on, one-day-off, 12-hour shifts began. Since the war started with the air strikes, the F-15s were flying eight-hour missions, returning for maintenance, fuel and reloading of bombs and ammunitions. Not one F-15 was lost in the 71st Fighter Squadron. Weeks after the war began, the ground troops moved in and the air strikes were reduced.
Just prior to a three-month stay, Jon’s group got the call that they were headed back home. “We were in shock that we were able to come home. The past three months were like a bad nightmare. Getting home to see your family and sleep in your own bed was very exciting,” stated Jon. Upon arrival in the states on April 27th, aboard a 777 that was fully decorated in our colors, the first place that he stopped was Denny's for the Super Bird. “That's a meal I'll never forget,” John recalls.
Jon took with him a great deal from this experience. “The circumstances really made me think honestly about today being my last day. Relying on God was put into perspective and having the opportunity to share my faith was very real in a life-and-death situation.”
“I’ve learned that relying on God does not need to depend on a time of trouble, but rather it is something I need to do every day, good days and bad days.”
We are proud of Jon and the thousands of men and women who have put their lives on the line for our freedoms. Many have given their lives and thousands more have suffered injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives. May we never forget the price of freedom.