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My family and my unit inspire me the most // Humans of NATO Days

The US MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle made its third appearance at the NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days last year. But behind the unmanned vehicles, which are increasingly finding their place and role in modern militaries, are the human operators and people who ensure the functioning and maintenance of these modern machines. In addition to the Reaper, visitors at the Mošnov airport had the opportunity to see Staff Sergeant Strong from the 147th Attack Wing of the Texas Air National Guard. We asked him what he thinks about the current edition of the NATO Days, what bravery means to him, and who inspires him.

How do you evaluate the ongoing NATO Days in Ostrava?
It's been a really cool experience so far. This is my first time in the country and seeing all the aircraft and different NATO partners here has been really special. Also, talking to all the people or seeing all the kids and having them take pictures with me has been awesome. So overall, it's been a really cool experience.

What does NATO mean to you?
For me, it is a coalition of allies that are all taking part together to further a good cause.

What does your typical working day look like?
It all depends on what's going on. My workload has to do with what keeps me busy - if we have people going out of the door or if we have inventory coming up, for example. A lot of my work is making sure that people have the right equipment to keep them safe wherever they're going and that they have the right training as well.

What does bravery mean for you?
Bravery is not necessarily the absence of fear. It's being able to act even though you are afraid, and that you complete whatever task is at hand. So that might be, for example, if you got something bad happening, you'll be scared, but you still do what you need to do to make sure that situation is handled.

Who inspires you?
In my time in the Air Force, I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of supervisors and just colleagues in my unit who have inspired me. So besides them, I would have to say my family, my kids, my father, my brothers, my wife, and my mom.

See you at
NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days 2024!