TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – As an 18-year-old basic cadet at the Air Force Academy, I had no idea where my Air Force career would take me.  Nine years later, I can say it’s taken me across the world a few times and it looks like I’ll be traveling around the world again before Christmas… twice.

My name is Capt. Garrett Jack and I am a KC-10 Extender pilot in the 9th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California. I’ve been flying the KC-10 for about two years and I’m beginning to feel pretty comfortable in the flight deck as a first pilot. Getting to this point has been challenging – it’s taken a lot of instruction, studying and practice, all of which began almost four years ago at undergraduate pilot training.

When I take time to reflect on my years as a young pilot, I’m amazed at all of the unique experiences I’ve had in a short amount of time. The KC-10 has taken me throughout the world on several occasions to execute missions abroad. Each of these missions has in some way supported our nation’s interests and has reaffirmed Air Mobility Command’s promise to deliver fuel and cargo wherever it is needed.

I’m proud to be an AMC Airman. My role requires constant learning and preparation, but it is rewarding. However, it’s not the only role I have in our military. Not many people would guess this if they saw me walking around base in my flight suit, the Air Force also uses me as an asset to language and culture.

Going a few years further back in my Air Force career, I remember being a freshman at the Air Force Academy listening to my Portuguese instructor encouraging her students to take the Academy foreign language programs seriously because there were all kinds of great opportunities available to those with language skills. I wasn’t particularly interested in foreign languages at the time, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to at least get good enough grades to go on a summer immersion trip or something like that.

With continued encouragement and support from my Academy instructors, I graduated with a minor in Brazilian Portuguese and spent over a year of combined time travelling throughout Brazil acquiring its language and learning about its culture. The majority of my time in Brazil was spent while I was still a cadet. However, as a member of the Language Enabled Airman Program, I’ve been able to continue my studies in Portuguese as an active-duty officer.

The Air Force Culture and Language Center initiated LEAP in 2009 to develop a cadre of Airmen across all specialties with working-level foreign language proficiency and to lead the U.S. Air Force in building a cross-culturally competent total force to meet the demands of the service's dynamic global mission. As LEAP members, Airmen are offered several avenues for sharpening existing or newly acquired language skills, including online courses, special projects, cultural immersion trips and short-term internships.

While I was on casual status just prior to starting pilot training, I was given my first opportunity to travel to Brazil as an officer through LEAP. I attended a small language school for three weeks outside the city of Recife, which is situated along the northern coast of the country. There I took classes daily with two other officers, and we were given plenty of time to explore the surrounding area in the afternoons and on weekends. It was an extraordinary opportunity to continue learning Brazil’s language and culture while sharpening my skills.  

Despite the intense operations tempo of the 9th at Travis, LEAP was able to find a language opportunity for me this coming fall. I will be travelling to Lisbon, Portugal, where I will attend classes and work at the U.S. embassy for three weeks. Apart from an online class and intensive personal study, it will be the first time in almost four years that I will be re-immersed in the Portuguese language. I’m looking forward to this trip, but there’s another trip I need to focus on first – I’ll be deploying to Southeast Asia at the end of August for the third time in just over a year in the KC-10.

It’s amazing to be involved in such a dynamic organization that requires its members to always be ready for the next challenge. Flying the KC-10 is my primary job and I’m constantly sharpening my abilities as a pilot and as an aircraft commander in training. But I always keep in mind that sometime in the future, I could be called upon to use my other abilities in support of AMC’s dynamic global mission. That’s why it’s not out of the ordinary to see me with a stack of Portuguese flashcards in my hands during rest periods in Southeast Asia.