Airman reached 3,000 hours while filling dual role

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Veronica McMahon
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 3,000-hour mark was reached by an F-15C pilot here at Tyndall Air Force Base in January. This accomplishment is only one of the few contributions this member has added to Team Tyndall.

Along with his commendable amount of flying hours, Lt. Col. David Silva, Detachment 1 Air National Guard commander, is also the 325th Operations Group deputy commander, representing the total force integration the Air Force is striving to accomplish.

"I feel very fortunate to have been flying for that long and contributing to (Tyndall's) mission," said Colonel Silva. "Tyndall is also a huge success story of total force."

Tyndall has had a long tradition of Total Force Integration and this demonstrated the Air Force's commitment to man our nation's military, said Col. William Mott, 325th OG commander

"Colonel Silva is doing great work for the Air National Guard and the 325th Fighter Wing," said Colonel Mott. "Additionally, he is a U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate with over 3,000 F-15 hours, and there are few officers with those credentials."

Colonel Silva has been tasked with this dual role since May 2008, when he became commander for 40 guardsmen assigned to the 325th Associate Unit. Administratively, he works for two chains of command, but functionally they all work together.

"As far as the dual role is concerned, it has never happened at the Fighter Wing where a guard member has had a formal role in senior leadership," said Colonel Silva. "It's a big step forward for active duty and guard to demonstrate how total force can succeed."

A lot of base's look to Tyndall's ability to make total force work, and the base has gone that extra mile said Colonel Silva.

The Colonel has been flying for almost 20 years, 18 of which have been spent in the F-15. He has been stationed at Tyndall AFB since he has begun his guard duty in 2000.

"He leads from the front, and is a capable and respected F-15C Instructor Pilot," said Colonel Mott. "He brings a wealth of experience and continuity to the position. Our graduates benefit from his leadership, both in the air and on the ground."