Winter 2009 — Vol. 62, No. 1
I’m a MEDEVAC Black Hawk pilot. I’m with the 2nd Infantry Division attached to the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan.
I came to Clemson in a roundabout way. I graduated from The Citadel in the 1990s and enrolled at Clemson in the early 2000s in engineering. Military service interrupted my studies but not my love of Clemson. 
Before I became a pilot, I served in Iraq as a first lieutenant. Our job was to build, train and employ Iraqi Security Forces combined with U.S. and Coalition troops during the first Iraqi elections and the overall security of Baghdad.
There, I used Tiger Paw reflection stickers as a marker (for me) under night-vision goggles so I could easily identify the good guys from the bad guys during the first Iraqi elections.
When I got the opportunity to become a Black Hawk pilot, I gave up my commission to chief warrant officer in order to fly.
Early in 2008, I was stationed in Korea, where I planned to take part in the annual “ruck march,” a memorial to the brave men who were part of the 1942 Bataan Death March. I wanted something special to take with me.
Back at Clemson, Brig. Gen. (ret) Hap Carr ’60 came up with a Tiger Paw flag. Before he sent it to me, he had Bataan Death March survivor Col. Ben Skardon ’38 sign it. He also had it signed by some other members of the Clemson Corps and Tiger Brotherhood including President Barker.
Before the annual march took place, I was transferred to Afghanistan. So I took the flag with me. I carried it on all my missions in Afghanistan folded up next to the American flag in my cockpit window.
Last fall, I decided to share the flag with my buddy Tony in Iraq [Cpt. Tony Mayne ’05, assistant operations officer, Task Force 2-6 Infantry, COP Carver, Salman Pak]. He signed it and has since mailed it back to Hap Carr to keep for the Tiger Brotherhood.
Clemson’s spirit has influenced Tony and me as it has other people over the years. Whether it’s being on campus or watching the Clemson-Carolina game on TV from Afghanistan, we can enjoy a kindred spirit with the Clemson Family.
If I can’t be at Clemson or around people who display the values that make it great, then maybe I can bring the Clemson values and influence to the people around me.
