Lieutenant climbs into aerospace from the professional gridiron

  • Published
  • By Debi Smith
  • 80th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Second Lieutenant Nick Reed steps into his future as a Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program graduate today.  For all of ENJJPT Class 15-02, it is a dream come true.  But, Reed is a young man who is talented and lucky enough to not only have had but be able to attain both of his childhood dreams.

He grew up hungry to play football and to be a pilot one day. 

His first goal took him to the football field.  An All-American as a college senior, by the age of 25, he was the seventh-round pick out of Oregon for the Seattle Seahawks and one of the all-time sack leaders in PAC-12 history.

His journey is one of resilience.  He played for ten teams in 2010, including the Eagles and Steelers.  He teamed with the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011.

As he traced his path and wondered why he wasn't connecting with a team, a football home, his other calling became more prominent.  He sought out the Air Force and was accepted into the Air Force's Officer Training Course on Patriot's Day, Sep. 11, 2011.  He didn't make a commitment date.

As a recognized professional football player by 2012, he signed a $1.2 million dollar contract that would secure his spot with the Minnesota Vikings team for two years.

He'd been previously cut from the Seahawks after an injury and fate intervened again when he was cut in August without a chance to play for the Vikings.  There was the chance to attend "Super Boot Camp" in April. He had a choice to make. 

He contacted his agent and said, "As much as I enjoyed football, this is what I am supposed to be doing."

By May 2013, he was in the midst of the nine-week training schedule of physical training, inspections and classes. As it turned out, football provided exactly the preparation necessary to be successful as a pilot.

"Football taught me a lot that I was able to bring here," Reed said. "Hard work, commitment, sacrifice, all the cliche words. But, I think most of all what I learned playing football or any kind of competitive sport was how to bounce back from a loss. I played for four NFL teams and that means I got fired four different times. And, on the road to getting cut at four different locations, I had to lose hundreds of other battles play by painful play. The reason I was able to milk my career out for as long as I did was because I never let a loss keep me from coming back and trying again. The losses always taught me how to win. In the same vein, the reason I was able to get through pilot training was because no matter how bloody my grade sheet got, I never let it worry me. I always knew there would be a few mistakes on the road to understanding."

Leadership, team, success are all common denominators within football and pilot training.  Endurance is what puts ENJJPT training above anything else Reed has ever done.

"Football training camp and ENJJPT are only similar in that they have extreme highs and lows, and being successful depends entirely on not letting them affect you. Schedule-wise, football can't compete with ENJJPT, college or pro,"  he said. "Training camps only last about a month, and while they are long hard days, they don't compare to the mental toll a year straight of pilot training can take on you. The length and the day-in and day-out grind of undergraduate pilot training for 55 weeks is pretty challenging. That all being said, the camaraderie formed here in pilot training has more depth than anything I ever experienced on an NFL team."

For the class coming up behind him, Reed offers a little advice.

"Once you show up to brief a flight, the hay is in the barn, the work is done. There is nothing to stress about. Relax, go do your best on your flight and have fun. There is nothing you'll be able to cram 10 minutes before the flight if you don't already know it. And something one of my former teammates told me when I was a rookie. You're not dumb if you can't remember it, you're dumb if you didn't write it down."

Reed has enjoyed the Wichita Falls community, making new friends and creating solid relationships that will enhance his career as an ENJJPT pilot in the NATO alliance.

"My strongest memories of the past year are all tied to events we did together as a class, whether it was Thanksgiving at the Kelloggs' home, cross country mission flights as a class, or trips to the lake. The best memories come from the things we all did together. "

In the last month of training, undergraduate pilots await the much-anticipated "Assignment Night," when they learn which aircraft and where they will be assigned next.  Reed will fly the C-21 Learjet stationed out of Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. 

"I did some research and it sounded like an awesome deal.  I'll be transporting distinguished visitors, conducting medical evacuation missions and getting great international Lear jet flight training. It sounds rewarding and enjoyable" he said. "The icing on the cake ended up being that I get to live in Germany for the duration of the tour. Living abroad in Germany definitely excites me the most."

Reed's father, retired U.S. Navy Commander William "Doc" Reed, was a naval flight surgeon who earned his wings at Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, Fla., in 1984. Tonight, he'll also realize a dream as he conducts the official pinning ceremony as he passes on his wings to his son.