Retiree Appreciation Day

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Retiree Appreciation Day

Erich Haring joined the Air Force in 1967 to do something good for his country. As an E-4, he fixed F4 Phantom jets. "We'd fix them, load them, and fly them again as fast as we could go," said Haring, before mentioning the accident that left him medically retired. "I tangled with a sidewinder missile, and I lost." said Haring. "But you wouldn't believe how lucky I was." The unguided missile went off while Haring was working on the plane. The missile missed the line truck, a load full of 500-pound bombs, and a crew chief before shattering into revetment wall. The missile missed Haring's head by a quarter of an inch but he still suffered serious injury. "When you lose a piece of yourself – in this case it was my arm – it takes a lot of adjusting," said Haring. "At first I asked if I could stay in. I have a lot of knowledge; I could do something." The military did not keep him, and Haring started his road to recovery. Haring admits that the adjustment was hard, but he also remembered recognizing how lucky he was as he looked at others in hospital beds around him, which took his breath away, he said. Haring feels lucky that he did not face post-traumatic stress, reflecting on those that came before him, including his father. "My dad was in WWII. He was in some of that awful stuff like you saw in Vietnam," said Haring. "In fact, until the day he died he couldn't talk about it. I think about it all the time, and not just him – others too." (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jodi Martinez)

Related Imagery

U.S. Air Force Capt. Kyle Green, 458th Airlift Squadron, C-21 pilot, poses during a trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The group of pilots from Scott AFB, Illinois made history as being the first all-African American crew to land the C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Johnny Frye, 458th Airlift Squadron, C-21 pilot, visits with students from the Red Tail Flight Academy during a trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The group of pilots from Scott AFB, Illinois made history as being the first all-African American crew to land the C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Sidney Ganison, C-21 pilot, stands next to Staff Sgt. Rachel Kinsey, Aviation Resource Management NCOIC, Capt. Johnny Frye, C-21 pilot, Master Sgt. Shina Williamson, 458th Airlift Squadron superintendent, and Capt. Kyle Green, C-21 pilot, (left to right) during a trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The group made history as being the first all-African American crew to land the C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

U.S. Air Force pilots and crew from the 458th Airlift Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, pose for a photo alongside students from the Red Tail Flight Academy, Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The school’s campus is on the same airfield the legendary Tuskegee Airmen trained at over 80 years ago and trains new students pilots interested in building flight time and learning more about aviation. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Johnny Frye, 458th Airlift Squadron, C-21 pilot, leads a tour of the aircraft during a visit to Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The group of pilots from Scott AFB, Illinois made history as being the first all-African American crew to land the C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Sidney Ganison, stands next to Capt. Kyle Green and Capt. Johnny Frye (left to right), C-21 pilots, 458th Airlift Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, during a trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, Sept. 28, 2021. The group made history as being the first all-African American crew to land the C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Sam Eckholm)

375th Civil Engineer Squadron Graphic. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Senior Airman Shannon Moorehead)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Samir Ragih, 375th Operation Support Squadron airfield management shift lead, and Tech. Sgt. Anthony Cooper, 375th OSS NCOIC of airflow manager operations, measure the distance between two C-130 on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois Sept. 8, 2021. The airfield management Airmen ensure that the Aircraft are properly placed to ensure that they utilize their space, while keeping the mission safe.(U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Isaac Olivera)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony Cooper, 375th OSS NCOIC of airflow manager operations, and Senior Airman Samir Ragih, 375th Operation Support Squadron airfield management shift lead, evaluate the runway on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois Sept. 8, 2021. The airfield management Airmen have to ensure that they focus on the attention to detail aspect of their skillset when evaluating the runway to catch potential hazards, or emergencies. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Isaac Olivera)

Question Mark (below) and Douglas C-1 Refueling biplane, January 1929. (Courtesy Photo)

Crew of the Question Mark. (Courtesy Photo)

Tech. Sgt. Jodi Martinez
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