Meet Lt. Col. Anderson Published Nov. 13, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Elsea 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- What was once a young man's dream of flying, soon became reality when he joined the elite few who fly as demo pilots, a slot reserved only for the best and most knowledgeable. Lt. Col. Bret D. Anderson, 325th Operation Support Squadron Commander, spent two years pushing his F-15 Eagle air frame to the max in 150 public demos and 60 air shows in more than 30 states and three countries. Growing up in Daytona Beach, Fla., Colonel Anderson was miles away from reaching his dream. He was one of two children, with a sister three years younger. His mother was a computer programmer and his father was an engineer who doubled as a ship navigator in the Navy reserve. "When I was born, my dad had already switched from active duty to reserve," said Colonel Anderson. "It never felt like we were a military family, we never moved around. He would just go off on his reserve duty occasionally." With little knowledge about the military, Colonel Anderson graduated high school and went straight to college to become a mechanical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. After graduation he took a job with General Electrics for three years. "I had my private pilot license, on the weekends I would fly on my own and that was costing me a lot of money," said Colonel Anderson. "I had friends in the military and they talked about how they enjoyed it. I knew I didn't want to sit behind a desk for 40 years." He said it was a long shot for the Air Force to take him but, it was worth the try. They took him instantly and, at 25, he went through Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. During his career Colonel Anderson has learned to fly the F-15 Eagle and the F-22 Raptor, and he still flies at least twice a week. "I wanted to join the Air Force because I was attracted to the lifestyle," said Colonel Anderson. "But more than anything I wanted to fly. I have wanted to fly since Top Gun came out in high school, it sort of solidified everything." Colonel Anderson has been in Air Force for 16 years and said he intends to stay in as long as it is fun, which he projects to be more than 20 years. He has been stationed at Vance AFB, Okla.; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Camp Red Cloud, Korea; Langley AFB, Va.; Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio; and here. "I have enjoyed everywhere I have lived," said Colonel Anderson. "I would like to go back to Europe; I have also never been to the D.C. area." Col. Anderson has been at Tyndall since June and likes being close to home however, he said Ramstein AB, Germany, was his favorite duty station. "It was a very interesting place to live," said Colonel Anderson. "In two years I was able to travel to 14 countries, including Ireland, Italy and the Czech Republic." Outside of traveling Colonel Anderson likes spending time outdoors. Upon arriving at Tyndall he purchased a boat which he cruises around in on the weekends. Some of his additional hobbies are mountain biking, golf and triathlons. "I like triathlons for the challenge," said Colonel Anderson. "I like the individual nature of it, most sports as you start to get older, you get slower or worse. But, if you train right, with triathlons you get faster as you get older." He recently took part in the Tin Man completion here and has already competed in six triathlons this year. Colonel Anderson said he also enjoys the obstacles that come with being a commander. "One thing that is really interesting with this job is in a lot of cases the squadron commander is taking over a unit that he is very familiar with what everyone in the unit does and he has already held most of the jobs," said Colonel Anderson. "When I took this job I didn't have a large depth of understanding about what the people in the squadron did." He said working in OSS and learning new things is really going to help him in the future. "It has given me a much greater breath of comprehension as to what goes into making a successful flying wing," said Colonel Anderson. "I appreciate the challenge." For a closer look at the 325th Operation Support Squadron click here.