“Flight school class...don your hats!” Legacy Army Aviation leaders speak to new flight school students

FORT RUCKER, Ala.--A cherished Army flight school tradition at the home of Army Aviation is the Class Color (“Hatting”) Ceremony that kicks off Initial Entry Rotary Wing training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

On “Day Zero” of the Common Core phase, each new flight school class is assigned a color of hat they will wear during that initial training phase. The tradition dates back to the 1960s during Army Aviation’s first major period of transformation, when leaders sought a symbol to easily identify differing levels of technical proficiency across separate classes in multiple phases of flight school training.

As the Army continues to transform today, the tradition helps foster a culture of increased cohesion, technical and tactical rigor, and personal accountability.

Part of that tradition is bringing in Army Aviation guest speakers, including legacy leaders from former eras and battlefields who wore the same color hat in flight school, to share some lessons learned from personal experience, and encouragement for the road ahead.

“It is an honor to host our legacy speakers. Both students and cadre enjoy hearing their experiences, struggles, triumphs, and enthusiasm,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lance E. Schick, 110th Aviation Brigade student management officer.

Each year the brigade brings in approximately 25 guest speakers who typically range from the rank of colonel through lieutenant general, or chief warrant officer 5, including active duty servicemembers and retirees, who focus on topics like esprit-de-corps, trust, safety and humility.

“We’ve had guest speakers come from as far as Colorado, Southern Florida, and Virginia. Many of the speakers are local as well,” Schick said.

Below is a sampling from recent guest speakers.

PURPLE HATS

Back in April, retired Lt. Col. Wesley F. Walker, a purple hatter who earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his service in Vietnam, flew his own plane from out of state to participate in a ceremony.

He said, “We’ve got some good kids coming up, and they’re better than my generation. And I think they’ll leave a better America than during my time. It just excites me that it’s the purple hats, and they’re going to be going through a lot of the same experiences I went through here at Fort Rucker. It’s just a real privilege and honor to be invited to do this.”

During the Vietnam War, Walker volunteered for a rescue mission of a downed Marine helicopter near Quang Tri City and helped rescue six individuals, despite enemy fire, and prevented their capture or death at the hands of the enemy. For his actions, he was awarded the second highest medal awarded for combat valor. To hear him talk about it, it was just one day among many. Walker credited the “hand of God” for shielding him as a scout pilot in Vietnam. “There is no other way to explain how I survived that year,” he said.

Walker said in flight school they are learning to manage risk, and he emphasized emergency procedures and the importance of Army Regulation 95-1. “That’s your Bible,” he said to the IERW students.

He highlighted the strong bonds formed with fellow servicemembers, especially during combat.

“You all are all in this together. If the one on the left or right fails, it’s your fault too. You share the responsibility. You’re your brother’s keepers in this,” he said. “This is a bond that will last forever.”

During that ceremony, the Honorable Order of St. Michael Bronze Award was presented to Walker for his outstanding contributions to the Army aviation community.

BROWN HATS

In June, the roster of speakers included retired Lt. Gen. Anthony G. Crutchfield, a former Aviation branch chief, who asked a class of brown hats, “Are you excited?” which garnered a resounding, “Yes, Sir!”

"This is one of the major milestones you’ll go through this time here at Fort Rucker, and I’m just happy that I’m able to share it with you," Crutchfield told the students that day.

"I sat right where you’re sitting. I didn’t know if I had the courage, the aptitude, the dexterity--I didn’t know if I could do this. I’d never flown in an airplane prior to coming here. I didn't want to fail. I hadn't failed at anything in my life, and I didn't want to start here. I did OK," he said.

Crutchfield explained that everyone around them at the home of Army Aviation is there to help them succeed and urged them to work hard.

"Everybody doesn't get Wings. You have to want it, and you have to do the work," Crutchfield said.

YELLOW HATS

Most recently, former Aviation branch chief, retired Lt. Gen. Daniel J. Petrosky, and former aviator retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Windell R. Mock, accompanied by his spouse Kimberly Mock, showed their support for the Aviation Center of Excellence student population by participating in a yellow hats Class Color Ceremony in early August.

Petrosky, a fellow yellow-hatter, served in Vietnam, at the height of the Cold War, and during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He tag-teamed with Mock to share bits of wisdom from decades of service including about leadership and decision making, with a new class of flight school students just before they donned their yellow hats for the first time.

"Congratulations to you, from my entire Vietnam unit," Petrosky said. "The first thing they wanted me to do is give you their regards. They are behind you one hundred percent, and they’re very proud that you said you want to be an Army aviator. I am too."

"You’re joining the most versatile outfit in the United States Army. You can go places because you’re in the third dimension, you can get there faster, you can change the course of battle. Because of that, you have to think," he said, as he gave examples from first-hand experience of having to solve problems during flight operations while serving as an aviator in combat.

Petrosky emphasized the importance of building trust when they get to their units, by spending time learning what their people do and helping them in every way they can.

Mock, whose battles and campaigns included the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord and Operation Lam Son 719 in Vietnam, urged the Soldiers not to worry about who gets the credit, as they face the challenges ahead.

"I know what it takes to get here. You folks are the best that our society has to offer the nation. I know how challenging it was just to get here. Now you’ve got to learn how to fly some of the most complicated helicopters in the world. You’ve got the finest machines to do that with," Mock said.

"What you’re going to be facing is going to be tough. Your unit comes first, and it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. Credit will come to you when you get to where you build that reputation. It did for me, it did for (retired Lt. Gen. Petrosky), and it’s done it for every successful person I know," Mock said.

As is customary in these ceremonies, immediately following the guest speaker portion, the class leader brought the Soldiers to attention. At the order, “Don your hats!” the class put on their yellow hats they will wear during the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training, followed by a round of applause.

GREEN HATS

On occasion, a class of flight school students gets to hear from the Aviation branch chief.

Earlier in the year, Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general, a green hatter, stopped in to speak with a class of green hats to ensure they understood the ‘why’ of what they’re doing.

“In my mind there’s a difference between a pilot and an aviator. You’re in the business of warfighting. You are in the ground fight; you just happen to know how to break friction with the ground,” Gill said.

“You should think like an infantryman, an artilleryman, a transporter, and intelligence professional—because you will do all of these things with the aircraft that we’re going to put you in,” Gill said. “That’s the ‘why’ of you learning to fly helicopters.”

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Any legacy leaders who would like to be considered for a guest speaker opportunity for a Class Color Ceremony may visit the link below and submit the form: https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/pwZgHvDtgs.

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