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A special thanks to a fellow maintainer

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jim Dorn
  • 305th Maintenance Group
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  A few months ago, several New Jersey fishing captains got together and decided to offer free guided fishing trips to all military members. Don Cowan was one of those guides. As avid fishermen, Capt. Wes Adams and Chief Master Sgt. Dan Romano, 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Senior Master Sgt. Jim Stadler, 305th AMXS, and I, immediately jumped at the opportunity for a 305th Maintenance Group trip.

We met up with Don at "o'dark thirty", taking off from the Red Bank area of New Jersey where we spent almost 12 hours on the water fishing for striped bass and blue fish. Don initially taught us how to catch our own bait fish, which I must admit I enjoyed almost as much as fishing for the big stripers. We then moved out into the bay where we caught several striped bass along with a whole batch of blues.

After the trip was over we said thank you several times and gave Don a token of appreciation, but for us, it just wasn't enough. This true patriot provided the use of his boat, use of his equipment, all the fuel, the launch fee at the boat ramp, and a couple of bushels of clams in case we couldn't catch bait fish, which was not a cheap trip at all. The boat alone takes more than 100 gallons of gas.

So just the other day, we paid a surprise visit to Don's workplace where he is a mechanic. We presented Don with coins from each of our squadrons and one from the 305th MXG for outstanding performance. The coins were framed and matted by Chief Romano himself.

Don is nothing less than a great American. He didn't do it because he wanted anything. He certainly didn't do it because he wanted recognition, but he certainly deserves a little. We give many thanks to a real patriot and proud supporter of the U.S. military.

Thanks again Captain Don.