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Desert Lightning News August 14, 2015 5
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Fighter Pilot: Hopper to bring resolve to Aug. 8 triathlon
David Poe finished the race, but beat her goal tor, she went on to fly more than 50 Now a lieutenant colonel and
time by one minute. missions in support of Operation the 8th Flying Training Squadron
71st FTW Public Affairs Southern Watch and Operation director of operations, Aaron Hop-
No one should blame the doc- Iraqi Freedom, among other efforts. per’s JSUPT class was just forming
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, tor for his pragmatism and realistic up when he opened the base news-
Okla. -- Three weeks before Maj. bend - he just didn’t know Hopper. Fifteen years later, Hopper paper in 2000 and saw a picture of
Christina Hopper’s first half-Iron- said while she loves her life to- a polished new graduate who was
man race, she came down with The 5th Flying Training Squad- day, she’d be remiss if she didn’t moving on to an F-16 slot in New
bronchitis. She carried the sticky, ron instructor pilot will return to say her heart still leaps when she Mexico. He said he immediately
coughing weight with her as she competition Aug. 8 when she com- hears an F-16 afterburner. felt he knew something about the
continued training, hoping that petes in the USA Triathlon Olym- woman who would eventually be-
she’d kick it before race day. pic-Distance National Champion- “When I got off active duty, my come his wife.
ships in Milwaukee. husband was still flying F-16s,”
In a doctor’s office on the Tuesday she said. “I miss it every time I see “I thought she was someone I
before the race, as her still-inflamed Like the three segments of a tri- them - I loved flying the F-16, but would have nothing in common
lungs heaved during an exam, her athlon, Hopper doggedly pursues I don’t look back with regret on with,” he self-effacingly said, fig-
doctor said “you probably won’t be her life triathlon with the same ded- the decisions I’ve made. (Air Force uring that the future fighter pi-
racing this weekend.” ication and a desire to “live life well.” Reserve duty) has been a great lot had an astuteness he lacked
balance for me of maintaining my (although he too would soon fly
Between labored breaths, she Flying military affiliation and all of the F-16s). “We became fast friends
said “that’s not an option.” After her time as an AFROTC work I’ve put into becoming a pi- and realized how much we had
cadet with University of Texas De- lot, while at the same time being in common. It was easy for us to
The doctor resigned “don’t expect tachment 825, where she graduat- available to my kids.” spend time together.”
to do anything great.” ed as a cadet commander, Hopper
headed to Vance and earned her Family Three children later, Aaron, whom
She smiled to herself. wings as a Joint Specialized Un- As she was graduating pilot train- Christina referred to as “my Sherpa,”
Toting a new inhaler, some Vita- dergraduate Pilot Training class ing, 2nd Lt. Aaron Hopper was said he couldn’t have asked for a bet-
min C chews and cough medicine, 00-07 graduate. coming through Vance’s gates for
and amidst coughing fits so ravag- Spanning almost ten years as an the first time. See PILOT, Page 16
ing that she pulled muscles in her active-duty fighter pilot and instruc-
back and sides, Hopper not only
