Who? David Koss. Still not ringing a bell? That is to be
expected because in the world of politics, Koss is a complete
nobody. An unknown.
An explanation is in order.
David E. Koss is a 42-year-old bachelor. He has no family.
There is a question if he is Republican or a Democrat. It is not
clear if he is even registered to vote. And, if so, in which state
is he registered? His political positions on the major issues of
the day are not publicly known. But he does have at least one
admirable trait as will be explained shortly.
Koss is a commander in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from
the Naval Academy in 1991 and is currently eligible to retire from
the Navy with 20 years of service. He is also a fighter pilot and,
until last week, he was the flight leader and commanding officer of
the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, more popularly known as
the “Blue Angels.”
As the world’s premier flight demonstration team the
Blue Angels have been
impressing audiences since 1946. To date, nearly one-half billion
people have watched the Blue Angels perform. About eight million
witnessed their aerobatics last year.
The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the skills
of Navy and Marine Corps aviators as an aid in
recruiting.
Koss viewed his selection just over a year ago to become
the next commanding officer of the Blue Angels as a dream come
true. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he explained earlier
this spring.
He was no different from countless other young boys who
watched the Blue Angels perform when they were youngsters. It
became his lifelong ambition to join the Blue Angels. Of course, he
had to pay his dues along the way.
First, he had to join the Navy, gain a commission as an
officer, get selected for flight training, and transition into
fixed-wing tactical aircraft. Fighters, specifically. Then he had
to rise through the ranks and assume command of a fighter squadron.
He had to demonstrate the acumen as a premier naval aviator just to
merit consideration.
He did all of the above. Eventually, he became an F/A-18
Hornet pilot. Hornets are the Navy’s primary carrier-based jet that
performs the dual-role of being an attack and fighter
aircraft.
Before he joined the Blue Angels last September, Koss was
the commanding officer of Navy Strike-Fighter Squadron (VFA)-14,
the “Tophatters,” based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.
VFA-14 is one of the
Navy’s oldest aviation squadrons that dates back to the earliest
days of naval aviation. The unit is nearly a century-old. It most
recently deployed with the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and its
carrier air wing in support of U.S. operations in
Afghanistan.
Koss had over 3,000 flight hours and he conducted more
than 740 aircraft carrier landings. His personal decorations
include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Air
Medals with combat V, four Air Medals, two Navy-Marine Corps
Commendation Medals, the Joint Achievement Medal and various
campaign and unit awards. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring
Freedom.
This is what is so admirable about Koss. Last week, he
resigned from the Blue Angels, the job he spent his entire adult
life working toward. In a statement he said he was guilty of “not
meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the
exceptional organization that it is.”
During the May 22 demonstration at the Lynchburg, VA Regional Air
Show, the Blue Angels performed a maneuver in which several
aircraft flew below the “hard deck,” the minimally-acceptable
altitude. The flight demonstration team immediately ended the
remainder of its performance and returned to home base at Naval Air
Station Pensacola, FL to immediately commence a “safety
stand-down.” No one was injured and no equipment was
damaged.
As the squadron’s commanding officer, Koss did what he
believed to be the proper and honorable thing. He offered his
resignation. It was accepted.
It is the extremely rare occurrence when someone holds
themselves to the highest of standards and then resigns when
failing to meet them. Washington, D.C. would look a lot different
if our elected officials did likewise.
Vote Dave Koss for president. What do we have to
lose?
