Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Miller | Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Tamietti, an intelligence, surveillance and...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Tamietti scanned the desert of northern Iraq quietly slipping by beneath his C-12 reconnaissance plane – a far different sight than the jungles of Vietnam he first took flight over more than 40 years before.
Four decades after serving in Vietnam as a young helicopter pilot with the 1st Aviation Brigade, Tamietti made his final flight in support of Operation New Dawn, July 31, before hanging up his wings for retirement later this year.
This is not the first time Tamietti made a “final flight,” however, nor is it his first experience with retirement.
After his deployment to Vietnam and ensuing service in the Army National Guard, Tamietti said he left the military in the early 1980s to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot.
“I just kind of closed that chapter in my life and I thought that was it, and never expected to get back in; not 25 years later,” he said.
After more than 20 years as a commercial pilot and several years on the Professional Golfers’ Association of America tour, Tamietti traded global travel for a relaxing retirement.
That all changed in 2003, he said, after listening to the Nevada Army National Guard advocate general speak about losing experienced soldiers to the competing demands of multiple deployments and life at home.
“I thought they could use my knowledge for something,” Tamietti said. “I never really expected to fly; I certainly never expected to do two tours in Iraq. It’s been an adventure, no question.”
Shortly after re-entering the military, Tamietti found himself in Iraq serving with the 339th Military Intelligence Company, an Army Reserve unit attached to Task Force Odin.
As an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance pilot, Tamietti and his fellow soldiers are charged with the mission of observing, detecting, identifying and neutralizing the threat of improvised explosive devices throughout Iraq.
“There are a bunch of kids who get to go home in one piece on account of us, and I feel good about that,” he said. “I feel that’s a pretty major accomplishment for us.”
Despite being a highly decorated combat veteran, Tamietti said military service is not about medals or heroics, but rather about building camaraderie, leadership and protecting those with whom he serves.
On several occasions in Vietnam, Tamietti disregarded his personal safety as he repeatedly flew headlong into withering enemy fire to aid ground troops.
Any pilot would have done the same, Tamietti said humbly, but he just happened to be the first one available to help on those occasions.
After being shot down and badly wounded, Tamietti said his observer pulled him from the downed aircraft and propped him against a rice paddy wall. As enemy forces closed in, Tamietti said his wingman’s observer, Staff Sgt. Jim West, emerged from the weeds, crawling to his position.
After being shot down himself, West crawled more than 200 meters into the midst of the fighting to rescue Tamietti and his observer.
That devotion to fellow soldiers, Tamietti remarked, is what defines a life of military service, and is a lesson he imparts on younger soldiers he now serves with.
“The respect I get from these kids for what we did means a lot to me,” Tamietti said. “I would hope that they would look at me as a guy that did his job and was there when they needed him.”
Maj. Temple Brown, commander of 339th MI Company, said Tamietti brings a wealth of knowledge to the mission in Iraq and teaches younger pilots everyday problem-solving techniques not learned in flight school.
“When you get with Chief Tamietti, you know you’re with an experienced pilot,” Brown said. “He brought all that experience back into the Army after a long hiatus.”
Still flying daily missions at 61 years old, Tamietti is an inspiration to younger soldiers, Brown said.
“Every day he’s out there grinding it out with the rest of us,” Brown said. “They see him out on the flight line pre-flighting in 115-, 120-degree weather out there with everyone else. They look at him and they stop complaining because he’s out there with the rest of us doing it. He’s an impressive guy.”
While he said he sometimes gets tired of the daily grind, Tamietti said he never gets tired of putting on the uniform each morning and serving his country – a lesson taken from his father.
“He spent six and a half years in North Africa, Italy and France during World War II, and never regretted a day, and I feel the same way,” Tamietti said of his father. “I feel lucky to get the opportunity to do this. I enjoy the challenge.”
In some ways, that challenge of supporting complex counter-IED missions in Iraq is easier due to technology advancements, Tamietti noted.
“We had a lot less technology and a lot less communication, and did a lot more by the seat of our pants back then,” Tamietti said of his days in Vietnam.
Now, he said, the technology and near-instant exchange of data makes it possible to conduct missions with greater accuracy and protect the Army’s most valuable assets – the soldiers to his left and right.
Through a combination of teaching high-tech reconnaissance assets to fellow pilots and low-tech cunning garnered from years in the pilot’s seat, unit leaders said Tamietti amassed a vast wealth of knowledge they now must look to replace as he retires.
“The impact will be felt dramatically when he leaves because of all the experience and confidence he brings to everybody,” said Brown.
Lt. Col. Jon Tussing, Task Force Odin commander, said Tamietti serves as a role model for Soldiers and officers in the unit.
“Gary Tamietti is a great American and we are fortunate to have him in Task Force Odin,” Tussing said.
Besides being a mentor and leader to other pilots, Tamietti has a keen understanding of how to most effectively support ground units working with Task Force Odin, he added.
“He defines ‘selfless service’ and is well-respected,” Tussing said. “It has truly been a pleasure working with him.”
Now looking to wrap up his second deployment to Iraq, as well as his re-visited career as a pilot, Tamietti said he is excited to return to his hometown of San Clemente, Calif., and trade flying for a set of golf clubs and a second round of retirement.
Through it all, Tamietti said the friends he met along the way are the most memorable part of his long tenure as a pilot.
“I really do enjoy being around them,” he said of his fellow Odin troops. “A lot about war is bad, but the friends you make and the bonds you make are with you forever, and that’s a good thing. At the end of the day, I’m proud to be a warrant officer and I’m proud to be a pilot.”
Rather than focusing on individual achievements or accolades, Tamietti said he would rather be remembered for being a good leader to his brothers-in-arms and building bonds of trust.
“One of these kids told me one time, ‘You know, Chief, when I look up there and see you sitting there, I think wow, everything is OK, the Chief’s got us.’ What can you say to that?” Tamietti asked. “It just doesn’t get much better than that.”
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2011 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 74696 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 535 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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