Astronaut inspires Spangdahlem Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Natasha E. Stannard
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Retired Air Force Col. and astonaught Gregory "Box" Johnson, visited with Sabers sharing his journey from the Air Force to NASA, Sept. 14 at Club Eifel.

Johnson was a pilot on the STS-134 Endeavour, which was the mission that launched to complete construction on the International Space Station May 16, 2011.

"We were putting the final piece onto the space station, which was a huge pole," Johnson said. "I handed it off to the spacewalkers on the space station with a robotic arm from our shuttle. That was a little nerve racking because I had to hand it off very precisely in zero
gravity."

Before Johson was flying into space to attach final pieces to the International Space Station, he was an Airman piloting F-15 Strike Eagles in Desert Storm. Piloting these aricraft and flying as a test pilot in the Air Force paved the way to make his dreams come true.

"I wanted to be an astronaut since I was 7 years old ... in Caro, Mich., watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon on my black and white television," he said.

From that point on he set his sights high -- past the sky.

"I went to the Air Force Academy and started flying," he said. "Then I went to test pilot school because it involved flying and engineering, which I was interested in, and there, I found out that NASA chose test pilots to become astronauts. I saw that my dream could really come true."

He advised Airmen not only to follow their dreams, but to do what they love and do it well.

"I love flying, and I love engineering," Johnson said. "That helped every step of the way. If your dream is to be an oncologist and you hate blood, don't do it. Suffering through all the things you hate for one thing isn't the way to go."

While this is Johnson's dream and he loves every aspect of it, he still goes through hardships -- hardships, Airmen can relate to and he shared his experience and advice with Airmen here.

"I joined the astronaut corps in 1998 and my family wasn't very happy at first because of what happened with the Colombia mission," he said.

He went on to explain that he and his family went through similar concerns during his time as an F-15 pilot during desert storm.

"They didn't wan't to go through that again," he said.

In order to get past this so he could serve as an astronaut, he held family meetings. During those meetings, he informed his family about each new advancement in the space program and discussed any concerns they had.

"Once the first shuttle flight came up, they were more comfortable with me going," Johnson said. "It's hard to balance family with career, but this is bigger than me -- this is the space mission ... and my family is my most important mission."

Airmen like Staff Sgt. Nicholas Wamhoff, 606th Aircraft Control Squadron, left with what he said was a good perspective of what's possible.

"It would be amazing to become an astronaut," said Airman 1st Class Curtis Creech, security forces Airmen from the 703rd Security Forces Squadron in Volkel Air Base, Netherlands. "I'm putting in a package to become an officer in the Air Force. Hearing his story and meeting him made everything more real and actually achievable, especially being in the Air Force."