Quad-A Announces 2015 Army Aviation Hall of Fame Inductees

Quad-A Announces 2015 Army Aviation Hall of Fame Inductees

17-Mar-2015 Source: AAAA

Three new members will be inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), in ceremonies at the Hall of Fame Dinner during the AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, March 30, 2015.

The Army Aviation Hall of Fame honors those persons who have made an outstanding contribution to Army Aviation over an extended period, a doctrinal or technical contribution, an innovation with an identifiable impact on Army Aviation, efforts that were an inspiration to others, or any combination of the foregoing, and records the excellence of their achievements for posterity.

The actual Hall of Fame is located in the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Ala., where the inductees’ portraits are hung, along with brief descriptive narratives of their achievements.

All persons are eligible for consideration, except active duty generals and colonels. Department of the Army Civilians are eligible prior to their retirement. AAAA membership is not a requirement.

Anyone may nominate a candidate for the Hall of Fame.

A Board of Trustees composed of current members of the Hall of Fame selects the candidates among the many nominations received to be placed on a ballot distributed to AAAA.

Including the newly-elected members, there are now 158 members of the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. The first induction was in 1974.

AAAA is a non-profit organization formed to advance the knowledge, efficiency, and overall esprit of those who are engaged professionally in the field of U.S. Army Aviation. Its almost 18,000 members come from the Active, Reserve Components, Department of the Army Civilians, and aerospace industry as well as a variety of military and civilian aviation support groups.

The AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit provides an opportunity for its members to gather with other government and industry representatives concerned with Army Aviation and participate in a professional program and exhibits.

The Hall of Fame Inductees at the 2015 AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit are:

Lieutenant Colonel Paul A. Bloomquist, Deceased

Throughout his short, but brilliant career, LTC Paul A. Bloomquist represented the very highest traditions of Army Aviation and strongly promoted the DUSTOFF spirit. Graduating from the Helicopter Officer’s Course in 1954, his initial assignment was with the 54th Medical

Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) in South Korea.

After he returned to the U.S., his keen aviator skills were called on during a massive snowstorm that blanketed much of the northeast, in the winter of 1958. Flying a UH-19 helicopter in extremely hazardous conditions, Lieutenant Bloomquist logged 55 rescue missions and made 62 drops of food, medicine, and emergency supplies to travelers, farmers, and villagers cut off by the heavy snow and earned his first DFC.

It was during his initial tour in Vietnam that CPT Bloomquist distinguished himself as one of the Army’s finest military officers and premier aviators. He kept extending his stay incountry, and during 21 months of daily combat flying, was cited for heroism several times. Among his four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, thirty-six Air Medal citations, one of his DFC actions exemplifies the kind of courageous and dedicated pilot he had become.

On 21 June 1964, Bloomquist’s helicopter was struck by enemy fire that wounded him. He disregarded his own wounds and continued flying the remainder of the day and well into the night, logging nearly 13  hours of flight time until all of the casualties were evacuated. Only then,did he seek care for his own wounds. Experienced and blooded, Paul Bloomquist was the personification of charisma. A proud and almost defiant man by nature, he served as an outstanding role model for the younger pilots in his unit. Captain Bloomquist never refused a mission despite the enemy situation or bad weather and he seemed to be at his happiest when flying the most difficult missions. Because of his heroic service in Vietnam, Captain Bloomquist was selected as the AAAA’s “Army Aviator of the Year” in 1964.

Major Bloomquist returned to Vietnam in April of 1967 where he continued his “mission first” attitude. His knowledge of combat flying and leadership skills proved especially valuable during the “TET of 1968” when thousands of American and Vietnamese servicemen and civilians were wounded or killed.
After promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany during a particularly difficult time in our nation’s history with rampant drug, social, and racial problems in the ranks. LTC Bloomquist attacked these issues head on and was able to quickly channel his soldiers’ energies toward productive goals and maintain a high state of unit readiness.

On 11 May 1972, after spending his normal long day at the office, he walked across the street from the headquarters building to the Officers Club to exchange dollars in order to take his wife to dinner. As he started up the stairs to the Club, a series of three violent explosions occurred, killing him instantly. The terrorist group Baader-Meinhof gang, claimed responsibility. Although his career ended far too early, he left behind a proud legacy of dedication, excellence, and unmatched courage for all Army aviators and crews to follow. He is a DUSTOFF hero and exemplar who made outstanding and enduring contributions to Army Aviation through his actions and selfless service.

Chief Warrant Officer Five Karl H. Maier

CW5 Karl Maier enlisted in the United States Army in December 1975. He completed Warrant Officer Candidate School and received his Aviator wings in 1984. In July 1987, CW5 Maier successfully assessed to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne).

Maier’s impact over the last 26 years on Special Operations Aviation has been immeasurable. He has served the 160th in every capacity from platoon instructor pilot to Regimental Warrant Officer. His involvement in every combat operation since 1987 places him at the pinnacle of Special Operations experience. His pioneering of Night Vision Goggle, (NVG), flight techniques and procedures, which he developed and proved through various combat operations over a period of more than two decades, helped revolutionized the effectiveness of Army Aviation on the battlefield.

In 1993, during his deployment to Somalia as the primary planner and flight lead for the Special Operations Task Force Ranger during Operation GOTHIC SERPENT, CW5 Maier was awarded the Silver Star for leading the recovery operations of personnel injured after an MH-60 was shot down. Navigating the MH-6 ‘little bird’ Star 41, he searched for and found one of the two Blackhawks minutes after it had been shot down. His co-pilot noticed a fallen soldier propped against a wall severely bleeding from the stomach. Although landing in a big intersection near the wounded soldier would have been far easier, he eased the bird up the street between two stone houses and set it down on a slope. As he used his aircraft to shield the wounded, he engaged the numerically superior advancing enemy with his MP5 expending hundreds of rounds through his door opening while his copilot extracted two critically wounded soldiers from the ground force. As the consummate and quiet professional, Karl successfully
resisted telling his story to anybody who would ask, for over 20 years.

Maier participated in numerous operations, including Operations JUST CAUSE, DESERT STORM, GOTHIC SERPENT (Somalia), UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, JOINT ENDEAVOR, ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), and IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Since 2003, CW5 Maier deployed more than 20 times to OIF and OEF, providing unsurpassed experience and leadership in pursuit of the strategic objectives of the United States.

In April 2006, he was assigned duties as the first Regiment Chief Warrant Officer, guiding and mentoring the Regiment’s 300+ Warrant Officers and providing support directly to the Regimental Commander. His performance as a Night Stalker Flight Lead and consummate trainer throughout the Regiment mark him as the epitome pf a Special Operations Aviation Officer. Up until his retirement ceremony, Maier was the longest-tenured Night Stalker in the 160th SOAR (A). He had been in the unit since 1987, with a majority of his time serving in the same company. Pretty much everything you’ve read in any book about the 160th, Karl was a part of.

CW5 Maier’s impact on the 160th SOAR(A) extends far beyond his personal achievements. He has been a mentor and advisor to multiple generations of Aviators, Commanders, and enlisted Soldiers. Karl Maier has helped to develop many of the NVG Tactics Techniques and Procedures, (TTP’s), and Aircrew Training Manual, (ATM) tasks which define modern Army Aviation. CW5 Maier’s legacy will continue for many years to come, as the Night Stalkers who he has mentored over the past 26 years continue to uphold the high standards to which he has trained them. It is impossible to overstate the significance of his 38 years of active service to Army Aviation, the United States Army, and the Nation.

Master Sergeant James W. Ponder III, Deceased

MSG James W. (‘Tre’), Ponder III, was a native of Franklin, Tennessee. He attended Auburn University for 3 years and enlisted in the Army in 1990. He dedicated his military career to producing the finest Aviation Non-Rated Crew Members in the world. His vision of how to revolutionize the MH-47 crew member training program changed and professionalized how Army Aviation trains all its enlisted personnel even to this day.

MSG Ponder was assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (ABN), the “Night Stalkers” in 1992. He rapidly progressed from MH-47 Crew Chief to Flight Engineer Instructor and conducted over 100 missions supporting the most elite Special Operators in the world. He was one of the first to deploy after 9/11 and played a major role in all the initial combat actions in Afghanistan against both Al-Qaida and the Taliban. Often these missions were conducted in some of the worst terrain in the country under zero illumination, high altitudes, channelizing valleys and brown-out conditions. The pilots of his battalion always wanted MSG Ponder in the lead aircraft in order to help them in tight tactical situations.

His exceptional grasp of both mission requirements and equipment led to his early selection as a Flight Engineer Instructor. He then developed a Nonrated Crewmember Trainer (NCT) program that is still being used by other Army Aviation units around the world. He consistently worked long hours and weekends to research new equipment and techniques for improving mission accomplishment resulting in his writing and staffing new publications and crewmember checklists.

In 2002 while serving as Regiment MH-47E/G Standardization Instructor he was directly responsible for the combat readiness of 380 NRCMs across 4 battalions and one training company. He was responsible for writing and updating Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) NRCM publications; Training Circulars and the primary advisor to the Regiment Commander and Command Sergeant Major on NRCM readiness and training. In addition, he developed and updated Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs), Programs of Instructions (POIs), and crewmember operational checklists. His extraordinary work ethic and dedication resulted in some of the best employment techniques for the M-134 Mini-Gun, the M240 Machine

Gun, FAST Rope operations, External Hoist Operations, Amphibious Operations and Special Vehicle Operations which were later adopted by all Army Aviation units. On June 28, 2005, MSG Ponder was training on the day shift with 3d Battalion, 160th, in Afghanistan, when a Navy SEAL team called for help. MSG Ponder knew he was more rested than the night crews who had just landed, and he volunteered. During the approach to the landing zone Tre’s MH-47 was shot down by an RPG as depicted in the book and movie, “Lone Survivor.” Always placing the needs of others above his own, he made the ultimate sacrifice to save his comrades in distress.

MSG Ponder’s contributions to this country and Army Aviation will stand as a model for all future Aviation Soldiers to emulate. His lifetime aviation accomplishments have significantly contributed to the advancement of Army Aviation and its place in the force of the future.

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