Planning a full 20-year career in the U.S. Army, service in Iraq is a near certainty for Jacob Beno of Clarkston.
When that happens, he wants to be behind the controls of a Blackhawk helicopter.
‘I’ve wanted to be a pilot since I was a kid,? said Beno, home on leave from his duty station in Ansbach, Germany.
In the two years since he joined the Army, the 2004 graduate of Clarkston High School has been promoted three times, to the rank of E-4 specialist, and been accepted to Warrant Officier Candidate School to become a helicopter pilot.
Assigned to 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 12th Aviation Brigade as a flight engineer, he works on helicopter maintenance and repair between flights. In the air, he monitors mechanical systems and works a door gun.
In February, he submitted his application to flight school at Ft. Rucker, Ala., his second attempt. He was notified May 18 of his acceptance.
After flight school, he hopes to be assigned to a UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopter or CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift chopper. The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was a favorite of his youth ? his room was plastered with Apache posters ? but isn’t so much now.
Blackhawks are more versatile, used for troop and VIP transport, medivac, and light cargo work, he said.
‘Blackhawks are everywhere,? he said. ‘They give the opportunity to change roles ? there’s always something new.?
Chinook-piloting skills may be more useful later as a civilian, he said.
‘If you can fly it, you can fly anything,? he said.
He also enjoys the camaraderie of the bigger helicopters. Blackhawks carry a crew of four, while Chinooks have 4-8.
‘There’s no rank, especially with the warrant officers ? we do the job and go out and have a good time,? he said. ‘It makes it easier in high-stress situations.?
At the same time, his unit has been training for deployment to Iraq. He has earned two Army Achievement medals during training, one for number of flight hours and the other for aerial gunnery with an M-240H 7.62mm machine gun.
Orders for flight school should come in 2-3 months. The deployment order will probably come sooner, he said.
He’s ready to go either way, he said.
‘I try not to think about it too much,? he said. ‘If I go, I’ll do the best I can. Politics will be out the window. It’ll just be you and your crew.?
‘We’re very proud of him,? said Kristi Beno, his mother. ‘In a short period of time, he has advanced considerably ? his dream is taking shape.?