Photo By Lt. Col. Deanna Bague | Airshow pilot Greg Poe flies his Ethanol –Powered Fagen MX2 show plane during the...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas – Airshow Pilot Greg Poe said he is living his dream of entertaining and elevating thousands of lives with his aerial performances.
“Quite some time ago it hit me,” said Poe. “It really came to me that I am one of the lucky, lucky fortunate few that get to do what they want to do with their lives … and I’m not going to waste the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m really going to live it to its fullest and utilize it as best I can to help people.”
Soldiers, their families and the overall El Paso community who attended the annual Amigo Airsho witnessed Poe fly his Ethanol –Powered Fagen MX2 show plane – which he uses to promote the benefits of green energy.
Poe has performed several times at the Amigo Airsho and said he loves performing in El Paso. He said the city is yet another place that allows him to strap into his plane and demonstrate to people what it’s like to live his life.
“We’re treated really well here,” Poe said. “You love to go where you’re wanted.”
Poe said he uses his unique position to try to motivate young people to do something positive with their lives. He shares aspects of his life in the hopes of setting an example of how hard work and dedication can help achieve goals.
During his stay in El Paso for the Amigo Airsho, Poe addressed students at Hillcrest Middle School and shared his personal quest of becoming a pilot – a dream the Idaho native had since an early age.
“I’d never really gone any place special or had done anything special, and I dreamed of flying,” said Poe. “And without any extra money or any extra smarts or anything else I went after that dream. I look back at that path that I’d been down and realized that I was able to accomplish it simply because I had a fire in my belly and I wanted it.”
Poe speaks to young people as part of Elevate Your Life Program, the action arm of the Ryan J. Poe foundation – a youth outreach program designed to encourage middle-school aged children in pursuing and achieving their goals through hard work and dedication. This program resulted from the loss of Poe’s son, Ryan in 2002, to heroin addiction.
“I fear that a lot of young people don’t believe in themselves or don’t have a clear enough pathway or that help – that nudge that they need to pick the ball up and do some broken-field running themselves,” said Poe. “I’m trying to help them appreciate the fact that they can live an incredibly positive life. They can make so much out of their lives by pursuing what they are interested in.”
Poe said he believes if children can become passionate about sports, music or something of interest to them, they can achieve their dreams. He does not give anti-drug speeches; instead, he shares his son’s story. Poe said he feels the idea behind steering young people down a constructive path is to get them immersed in the positive, which will get them through negative influences.
“As far as connecting to young people – I think what I’ve found is there are a lot of people who probably have the same vision that I have and want to go talk to young people and influence them in a positive way – fortunately for them they don’t have the negative part to go with it,” said Poe. “I’ve had to live a very, very negative part of my life that none of us hope that we ever have to, but I do, and because of that I think there is credibility that comes with it.”
| Date Taken: | 10.17.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2010 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 58872 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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