Each year, on Nov. 11, the U.S. marks Veterans Day. Hanson is honored to employ many military veterans, and several who spent their service time in aviation roles shared their stories of days spent following their dreams, extending family legacies and defending their country. Read about our military aviation vets here, then head over to our Elements blog to read about several other Hanson veterans.
Traveling the world
Joe Crispen, an associate project manager in the Springfield, Illinois, office, followed the example of his grandfather, who served in the Navy during World War II.
“It was an honor to serve our country,” said Joe, who joined the U.S. Air Force in 2002 and retired in 2024. During that time, he served as an active-duty air battle manager and as a squadron commander and chief human resource officer in the Air National Guard. “The Air Force instilled the three core values of ‘integrity first,’ ‘service before self’ and ‘excellence in all we do.’ The Air Force became our extended family and valued not just the contributions of the members serving but gave credit and support to their family members.”
Joe spent half of his Air Force career as a pilot, flying on board an E-3 Sentry, an airborne warning and control system, as an air battle manager.
“I had the privilege to deploy twice overseas where I was stationed in Balad, Iraq, for one tour and Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, during the second tour, both in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom,” he said. “I participated in many exercises, from Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, to Blue Flag at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, to field exercises near Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, among others. I supported presidential support missions in an air traffic control facility in Columbus, Ohio, during the National Collegiate Athletic Association First Four basketball tournament, as well as overseas in Greece, when the president traveled to Europe. My career allowed me the opportunity to travel much of the world, including to temporary duty stops in Curacao; London; Warsaw, Poland; Cairo; Crete, Greece; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Tokyo; Okinawa, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Guam; and Alaska. I also spent time stationed in Hawaii, Florida, Oklahoma and Illinois.”
Serving with ‘selfless’ fellow Americans
Hanson Senior Vice President, Secretary, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer Dennis Hollahan in the Springfield office served as an active-duty Marine Corps officer and a helicopter pilot from 1986 to 1994 and briefly afterward as an Illinois Army National Guard judge advocate general.
“I was fortunate to grow up in the U.S. and regarded Marine Corps service as reimbursement to our country for my good fortune,” he said. “The men I served with were the most selfless collection of Americans I’ve known. In small ways, we helped advance freedoms in many countries and in some demanding (and exciting) situations.”
Dennis recalled a memorable time during a deployment, when his squadron lived with regular, after-dark scud missile attacks that triggered air-raid sirens.
“One afternoon, when the weather was clear and bright,” he said, “a fellow officer imitated the sound of the air-raid sirens. It sounded so remarkably similar that many men in the squadron scrambled for their gas masks. A second officer must’ve thought it was the 1940 Blitz in London and yelled, ‘Turn off the lights and close the blinds!’ Great situational awareness. Did I mention that this eagle-eyed, second officer was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy?”
‘Discipline, integrity, resilience, loyalty and dependability’
A project manager in Hanson’s Jacksonville, Florida, office, Daryl Myers, P.E., served as an airframe/hydraulic mechanic on F/A-18s in the Marines, during a career that spanned from 1992 to 2000.
“I love military aircraft, and I jumped at the opportunity to work on them,” he said, adding that his father was also in the military. “My time in the Marines has helped to shape who I am today,” he added. “I learned many important things that I have carried into my professional career — discipline, integrity, resilience, loyalty and dependability are critical both in the military and in a civilian career.”
A family tradition of service
Jeff Stenger, a senior project manager in Springfield, found his inspiration to join the military from his older brother, who was serving at the time Jeff enlisted, and his father and uncle, both of whom served in the Korean War with the Illinois National Guard. Jeff followed suit in 1983 with the U.S. Army and Illinois Army National Guard, starting with the 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment at Army Aviation Support Facility #1 in Decatur, Illinois. He ended his career in 1992 as an E-5 sergeant and UH-1H helicopter crew chief.
“I attribute a great deal of my adult maturity and confidence to the structure and discipline I received from the beginning of my military training,” he said. “Growing up in a family that served and valued our veterans from all walks of life, I already had a strong sense of country and patriotism; my service strengthened those values and provided me with a solid foundation for growing leadership and character traits that I believe remain with me to this day.”
Jeff recalled the mentors he acquired during his time in the Army. “I fondly recall the men and a few women that I served with,” he said. “Given the time period, we flew UH-1H Hueys in my unit. Most of the pilots that I flew with served in Vietnam. Those men knew how to fly their craft very, very well. It was a thrill for a young crew chief like me to serve with such men and to be a part of their crew. They say flying is hours upon hours of sheer boredom bookended by moments of sheer terror. I agree with the hours of boredom, but I never feared for my safety at the bookends with those men at the stick.”
Jeff expressed his gratitude for those who served alongside him and those who have served under more dangerous circumstances.
“I would like to share happy Veterans Day wishes with all my fellow veterans,” he said. “While I am proud of my service, I make no false assertions. By the grace of God, I served my nine years in peace time, so I never knew what it was like to get ‘the call,’ and aside from training, I never served on active duty. Those who did understand why I had to make that distinction, and I honor and appreciate all of you who did.”
Head over heels for the Navy
A business development manager in Hanson’s Orlando, Florida, regional office, Eric Menger was commissioned as an officer of the U.S. Navy in 1981. As a naval aviator, he held multiple positions, including division officer, aircraft commander, flight instructor and intelligence analyst. His final title before retiring in 2007 was deputy reserve intelligence area commander for operations at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. During his more than 26 years, he served in active- and reserve-duty roles.
According to Eric, his father’s time with the U.S. Army during World War II inspired him to join the military ranks. “He was a corporal in the 713th Flame Throwing Tank Battalion and had some horrific stories about his time in the service, especially on Okinawa toward the end of the war,” Eric said. “He always told me that the food and quarters were much better in the Navy, so I decided to go that route.”
The team mission, camaraderie and diversity were Eric’s favorite aspects of his service. “I served with people from all over the country, from all walks of life and of many different cultural backgrounds,” he recalled. “Sure, I wanted to serve my country and am very proud of the USA, but the adventure and travel and new experiences really hooked me. And I was finally getting out of my small town, so that didn’t hurt, either, although I was happy to go back home later.”
As many positive experiences as he had, Eric endured one particularly scary incident while airborne behind the controls.
“One time, as a flight instructor, I nearly lost consciousness due to g-forces while in a training flight for one of the beginning students,” he said. “I was flying the Navy T-34C, which is a turboprop trainer with two seats, aerobatic-capable, with good maneuverability and plenty of power. During a training mission to simulate a bombing run, I inverted the aircraft at the point of attack at about 1,500 feet and descended to the prescribed 500 feet over the target (a lake in the middle of nowhere near Pensacola, Florida). Over the target, I forgot that I was still inverted and, rather than roll straight and level first, I pulled the stick back to climb. That meant I was heading directly for the ground at about 300 feet and 200 mph inverted! Upon realizing my mistake, I immediately rolled straight, simulated dropping the bomb (mic click on the power lever) and began a hard pull on the stick and with full power to return to altitude. The aircraft responded, climbing with a 4.5g pull, but because of the high-g climb, I lost consciousness for about five seconds. After a few moments, when I came to, I found myself climbing toward the sky, not the ground, and all was well.
“Without skipping a beat, the student in the back seat remarked, ‘That was great, sir, let’s do that again!’ I never told him that I had ‘grayed out,’ and he got a great score on his training flight! He went on to fly F-14s as a radar intercept officer.”
Despite his close call, Eric has no regrets about his time in the Navy.
“I’d do it all over again if I could and would proudly serve again if called upon,” he said. “Best time of my life.”
