Romanian pilot returns the favor; helps bridge gap during joint exercise

  • Published
  • By Capt Jamie Humphries
  • 100 ARW public affairs
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania --  All his life he dreamed of being a pilot. Growing up near an air base, he always hoped he too would be able to take to the sky like so many pilots he saw day after day.

That dream became a reality in 2001 when 1st Lt. Mihaita Marin began to fly. He started his journey towards flight in 1999 when he was selected to enter the Romanian Air Force Academy in Brasov.

He studied hard, excelled at his craft and in 2004 - a day that changed his life forever - Lieutenant Marin earned his Air Force wings.

What the Urziceni native didn't know is the next year he'd be taking on a new mission, one in which only one Romanian pilot is selected for every two years.

"I was selected to go to the states and enter the Aviation Leadership Program," said Lieutenant Marin.

The program would last one year and give the lieutenant an opportunity to live and train next to up-and-coming American pilots. His training started in San Antonio, Texas where he attended the Defense Language Institute for the first nine weeks. For some the class may seem daunting, but to Lieutenant Marin it was a piece of cake.

"(The class) was not too difficult," he said. "It helped me get familiarized with southern accents. I also met a Romanian living in San Antonio who showed me everything and made it easy."

The next leg of his journey would take him to Columbus, Miss. where he lived and trained until 2006. He entered a 24-person class and lived in dorms on the base. Strangely enough, Lieutenant Marin was one of the students with the most flight experience.

"I was one of the only ones in my class with flight experience," said Lt. Marin. "(There) was a communication barrier (because the instructor) was talking to the class, not me, so communication was difficult."

Oddly enough for the lieutenant, the communication barrier was more difficult than the training.

"(The) training was not difficult as I had experience before in Romania," he said. "It was a tough transition though and overall a tough program."

Although Lieutenant Marin was excelling in his training, living on his own in the states, and becoming homesick began to take its toll. After training he sometimes stayed in his dorm room all evening thinking about home and his fiancée.

"I left my fiancée in Romania, so it was difficult, but she came for Easter and Christmas," explained Lieutenant Marin. "I had periods of homesickness, but that's normal. My friends (from class) forced me to have fun."

Making friends in school helped him along the way and flying more and more helped him stay focused. Another thing that kept his mind on his ultimate goal of graduation was American cuisine. A self-proclaimed cook himself, he became quite fond of southern barbecue.

"Barbecue in America was quite rare for me. (The) hand-pulled pork was absolutely awesome," he said. "On my first visit to a restaurant in Columbus I had some world-famous American ribs. I ordered them well done, and the waiter was astonished, so I changed to medium and they were quite pink."

After completion of his training he was assigned to the 86th Air base near Fetesti, Romania to fly MIG-21s. He began to help other flyers with the training he'd received. He also said the structure he had in an American classroom was a huge asset. Although he doesn't get as many hours in the MIG as he did in thestates, the hours he got while in Columbus were immeasurable.

His training and experience is now paying off for U.S. forces in Romania until May 4 during Sniper Lance 2007. He also worked alongside American pilots during last year's exercise Viper Lance as well. He's assisting with planning and execution of missions and also brings a wealth of knowledge from both Air Forces' perspectives.

"Foreign exchange programs are vital to ensuring our future interoperability and success," said Lt. Col. Craig Wills, 493rd Fighter Squadron commander, from RAF Lakenheath. "We welcome the opportunity to train with and learn from our Romanian counterparts." 

The 25-year-old looks back at his experience in the states with fond memories of friends and flight. He plans to marry next month and cherishes the memories he has. 

"I definitely enjoyed it (training in America) a lot. My friend (previous student in the U.S. program) told me it was awful, and I went in a little scared. But, at the end of the of the year I had tears in my eyes about coming home."