Dreams in the Making

Lieutenant Junior Grade Andrew Campbell

Dreams in the Making

By Andrew Campbell

I am an MH-65D helicopter pilot for the United States Coast Guard, currently stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana. I primarily conduct search and rescue missions in addition to supporting Law Enforcement and Marine Environmental Protection efforts, under all-weather conditions. Our area of responsibility spans the over 600 mile coastline from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Apalachicola, Florida and offshore over 200 miles. As a designated Co-pilot at the air station, I am responsible for safe operation, communication, navigation, and fuel planning for a variety of missions. As a member of the air station, we stand on alert duty for 24 hours at a time, similar to a fire department. While standing duty we are required to be ready to launch within 30 minutes of getting called to respond to people in distress.

What made me want to be an aviator? My biggest hero…my Dad! My father was a U.S. Navy pilot and flew F/A-18 Hornets and LTV A-7s. I looked up to him as a kid and still do to this day. I am proud to call him my father and hope my future children see me as a role model like I see him. As a kid, I pursued my passion for aviation by going to work with my father and attending local air shows. He is the first person I call when I have any military or aviation questions. I am beyond blessed to have him as my mentor.

Growing up I always knew I wanted to fly. Whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up it was an easy answer, “I want to be a pilot.” However, the path was not as straightforward as I thought it would be. I did not start getting involved in aviation clubs or organizations until I attended college. My parents instilled in me that whatever you are working towards, whether it be grades, sports, personal goals, etc., you do it with 100% effort. While in high school I stayed very busy with academics. I also spent the majority of my free time swimming competitively. I would attend practice every day after school for two hours and then go straight home to finish my homework. As I began my sophomore year of high school, I started thinking of the steps to take in order to become an aviator. The first being, “how am I going to get into a Service Academy (Naval, Military, Air Force, or Coast Guard)?” I spoke with local recruiters and learned that in order to attend a Service Academy I would have to be one of the top performers against other students nationwide in a variety of physical, social, and academic requirements. To be honest, I was not the smartest in school, but I made sure to be the hardest worker. I was not the fastest swimmer on my team at the start but by the end I was voted team captain and always gave it my all during practices and swim meets. My passion for swimming and sports came from my mom. She introduced me to the water at a very young age and there was no going back from there. I knew I wanted to share that same passion with other kids so I volunteered my time to work beside my mom and teach younger kids in the community how to swim and water safety skills. Towards the end of my time in high school, I had taken the ACT and SAT multiple times to better my score when applying to Service Academies and other universities. I knew what it would take to be accepted into these institutions of higher learning so I made sure to be a well-rounded individual and competitive in all aspects of the application process.

My dad attended the U.S. Naval Academy, so that was always my dream school. Coming from a Navy family, I always envisioned myself following my dad’s footsteps and graduating from the academy just as he did. While applying for the Naval Academy I knew I wanted to continue my swimming career so I reached out to the Navy swim coach in hopes of joining the team. Although I knew I was a very hard worker, my times just fell short of the required competitive time standards of a Division 1 swimming program. After months and months of intense academic and athletic evaluations as well as numerous interviews I learned I was not accepted into the Naval Academy…I was heartbroken. That was a very hard pill to swallow knowing how much I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason, so my dream was not yet lost. Although the Naval Academy was my number one choice, I was also applying to other Service Academies, one in particular was the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. After speaking with multiple active and retired Coast Guard members, I learned more and more that the Coast Guard Academy was a hidden gem in the military community. What really sold me were the stories they shared about their time at the Academy and how proud they were to be an alumni and member of the Coast Guard. After more research and talking with my family I knew that this is where I was meant to be. I also felt pride knowing that although I would be going down a different path than that of my family members, I would still be serving my country and hopefully become a Naval aviator (like my father, but in a different military service).

I attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in the spring of 2018. The Academy was both a very rigorous and very rewarding experience. Transitioning from a public high school to a Service Academy as a student athlete was not easy to say the least. The challenging academic requirements pushed me far past my comfort zone. Learning to balance academics, athletics, and military obligations was not easy. I would not have made it without the help of my close friends and guidance from faculty members that helped me to find a routine that worked for me. Now that I had achieved the first step of my dream, I had to work even harder to stand out in school in order to distinguish myself as a top candidate to be considered eligible for Naval flight training after graduation.

Similarly, as I did in high school, my senior year at the Academy I began another application process, but this time it was for flight training. After months of waiting and dreaming I soon after found out that my original plan would not turn out as I hoped, I was not accepted into the flight training program. Just as it happened before, I was heartbroken, questioning if I was meant to accomplish my dream of becoming a pilot. Although things did not turn out as planned, I was fortunate to be selected as a Deck Watch Officer (DWO) on the USCG Cutter MAPLE in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. While stationed at USCG Fort Macon, I was an acting DWO for 10 months. During that time all I could think about was what my parents always told me, “Whatever you are working towards, whether it be grades, sports, personal goals, etc., you do it with 100% effort”. So that is what I did. I had to personally change my perspective and learned to take pride and ownership in an operation that I had little interest in before becoming a member of the unit. I began to take pride in what I did, became good at my duties, formed lasting relationships with crewmembers, and loved sharing information with new crew members about their duties aboard the cutter.

This was definitely a speed bump on the path towards my dream; however, my time aboard the cutter MAPLE was invaluable. I learned skills that I would not have had the opportunity to learn if I was immediately accepted to flight school. I learned the importance of communication among a crew, investing in and caring for your people, and showing up to work every day eager and ready to learn. In order to reapply for flight training, I needed a command endorsement from my Commanding Officer. I hit the books hard, qualifying in everything I could while managing members in my division. After demonstrating to my command my drive and commitment, they approved my application for flight training. I was accepted into the flight program after my second application and finally began flight training in Milton, Florida in the spring of 2019.

I thought the Academy was hard, but Naval flight training was the most challenging experience I have encountered thus far. It required a ton of studying with my classmates, chair flying, and preparing for flight briefs. It was like learning a new language that I had never heard of in conversations with my dad. The only way to overcome such a steep learning curve was to fully dedicate myself to studying and working with my classmates. Every day I was being continuously tested; in the books, simulators, and in the aircraft. The first aircraft I learned how to fly was the Cessna 172 and I have been hooked on aviation ever since. After training for weeks, the aviation language began to make sense and the flights became more enjoyable. In primary flight training, I was privileged to fly the T-6B Texan where I learned aerobatics, formations, and instrument flying. As a member of the Coast Guard, I knew I wanted to fly helicopters because I could be a part of the team responsible for hoisting people from the water and providing help for people in distress. Thus, after completing primary training I was selected to the rotary wing advanced training program. I began rotary training in the summer of 2020 where I learned to fly the TH-57 Sea Ranger. In this aircraft I learned tactical maneuvers, low level navigation, formations, and received my instrument rating.

The highest achievement and one of the most memorable days of my life was receiving my ‘Wings of Gold’ and becoming a designated Naval Aviator in January 2021! I had finally achieved my lifetime goal of becoming a pilot and serving in the military to help others. After earning my aviator designation, I was stationed at Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, Louisiana. During my time here as a designated Co-pilot I have faced some of the most challenging flying conditions, frequent search and rescue missions, responding as the first helicopter to fly into New Orleans after Hurricane IDA, and actively participating in Marine Environmental Protection. I cannot put into words how blessed and grateful I am to be in the position I am, getting to live out my dream daily.

I’d like my story to show that one day you can achieve your goals with hard work, time spent, and effort! I started out wanting to follow my dad’s footsteps as a Navy fighter pilot. However, after carving my own path with all the obstacles I have overcome, I am fortunate to live out my dream of being a pilot every day. In retrospect, the hurdles I have faced taught me resilience, persistence, determination, discipline, and patience. The Coast Guard requires these skills of its members to execute missions safely and efficiently whether it be afloat on a cutter or in the air on an aircraft. I now welcome hurdles in my career knowing that after hardship, there will always be growth.