Veteran pilot Jon Kleve urges outreach

    Over the course of eight deployments, 1997 Holyoke High School graduate and U.S. Air Force veteran Jon Kleve had plenty of time to think about the role that military service played in shaping his outlook on life.
    Kleve shared with an assembly of students and community members at Holyoke High School Monday, Nov. 12, his advice for being successful both within and beyond the armed services.
    He said the qualities of preparation, perseverance, initiative, teamwork and trust specifically had helped him to succeed in his journey to become a pilot.
    After graduating from HHS, Kleve was admitted to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where he underwent basic training and education in a variety of other subjects, including military strategy.
    Kleve said the goal of the academy was not only to educate its rigorously selected class of recruits but also to strip them of their individuality so they could work better as a team.
    “The pain and the stress didn’t matter,” he said. “What mattered was helping one another survive.”
    Kleve graduated from the academy in 2001 and began training to become a pilot in the days before Sept. 11. He said that he was housed near a runway at the time that the attacks took place, which made the sudden cessation of air traffic all the more eerie.
    “When the flights were grounded on Sept. 11, the silence was deafening,” he said.
    Kleve was trained in piloting both planes and helicopters. As part of the 20th Special Operations Squadron based in Cannon, New Mexico, Kleve participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying a Sikorsky MH-53 helicopter. He deployed to Iraq five times, taking part in both direct action and logistical missions.
    A change in scenery came in 2008, when he volunteered to be part of the 318th Special Operations Squadron. As a member of the 318th, he flew a Pilatus PC-12 airplane, which had originally been designed for civilian use. Kleve also deployed twice to the Philippines and once to Central America.
    In closing, Kleve suggested that, in honor of Veterans Day, attendees should take the time to talk with a veteran about their experience in the service and how it influenced their life.
    “Whenever you have the chance, you should ask a veteran about their time spent serving,” he said.
    The program also featured music by Holyoke third-graders and the Holyoke High School band and select choir, as well as a rendition of taps by senior Jillian Hunter.
    Voice of Democracy winners Corben McCallum, Dylan Miles, Ashlyn Marcum and Cash Adler presented their speeches, which can be found in this edition of the Enterprise on Page 11.
    Also announced were the winners of the Patriot’s Pen contest — eighth-graders Tamara Penzing, Maximilian Kleve and Ethan Schneller.