The Milwaukee Post

By Alison Fox Conley News Service MILWAUKEE — The U.S. Navy's elite Blue Angels flying squadron returned to Milwaukee to headline in the city's Air and Water Show last weekend. The aircraft gathered at the Gen. Mitchell Air National Guard Base, which is the home base of the Wisconsin Air National Guard 128th Air Refueling Wings. Captain Dusty Cook, a C-130 pilot who flew the "Fat Albert" aircraft at last week- end's show, said the overall mission of the air show was to display honor and pride for the Marine Corps. After graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science, Cook made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps because he knew he always wanted to be an aviator. "The United States Marine Corps gave me a promise that if I made the commit- ment and met the requirements they would let me fly," Cook said. "They sent me down to Pensacola, Fla., for training and after that, I was able to get my wings of gold." Cook then spent three years in Japan flying his first fleet aircraft. He also spent time overseas in Afghanistan supporting and working with the infantry. He said his experience in the Marine Corps has been unique because he had the privilege of serving both in the air and on the ground. While joining the Marine Corps is vol- untary, Cook said being accepted into the Blue Angels is a process that takes about a year. He said applicants are looked over for their credentials and experience, and are also required to spend time on the road with the team before they are accepted or declined. Cook, who grew up in a small Texas town where he played high school football and graduated with a class of 58 people, said one of the best parts of being in the organization is the amount of time he gets to spend with his fellow Blue Angels. "It's like your family you are on the road with," he said. "You are really only in the air for so many minutes, so you spend a lot of your minutes with your team." Being on duty about 300 days a year, training and flying to various states to per- form two shows a weekend, Cook said being a Blue Angel is almost like being deployed within the United States. He said the hard work and training is worth it if he can inspire at least one person in the audience to go out and follow their dreams of being a pilot. Cook said he was most excited about feeling the energy of the crowd while he flew over Milwaukee. "The energy the crowd exudes — it goes back to when I played high school foot- ball," he said. "The mission is great and the people are awesome. I've never been more impressed or happy to be on this team." After his three-year tour with the Angels, Cook said he would love to return to the fleet squadron or continue his work on land working with young Marines. Contact Alison Fox afox@conleynet..com 12 • Milwaukee County Post • June 27, 2014 Flights over Milwaukee Blue Angels return to headline in Air and Water Show Photo by Charles Auer/Conley News Service ABOVE: Captain Dusty Cook, pilot of Fat Albert, the Blue Angels' C-130, discusses his experiences in the Marine Corps as a pilot and forward air con- troller in Afghanistan before joining the Blue Angels. BELOW: Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet jets line the tarmac at the 128th Air Refueling Wing June 19. 238335160 - PAID ADVERTISEMENT - TRUST COSTS VS PROBATE COSTS Does a trust really save you money at the time of your death? It should first be noted that trusts are being marketed by many individuals who are not lawyers and who are not licensed to draft trusts. Only lawyers can draft trusts. Marketing of trusts by non lawyers is often used as a way of selling you other services and products, such as becoming your "money manager". 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