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Attached to a SEAL team in 1987, one Airman began what was to be
a normal parachute training out of a Marine CH-46 helicopter at
13,000 feet. Free falling around 3,500 feet watching vast Virginia
state scenery; the Airman opened his chute, everything was clear
until another Airman pummeled through his parachute.
The Air
Force Pararescue staff sergeant woke up in the hospital several days
later with no recollection of what happened.
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(Ret.) Master Sgt. Scott Gearen poses for a portrait in the
National Cryptologic Museum Baltimore, MD on August 18, 2016. Gearen
was the 69th Air Force Birthday Ball guest speaker for the Ft. Meade
and Andrews Air Force Base, Md as an extension to the 70th ISRW
family. Guests that attend the event will have a chance to meet and
hear his story after 29 years of resiliency through tough times, and
his inspiring journey as an American Airman. (U.S. Air Force photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alex Montes)
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“The memory I have of the actual event is very limited to
the physical aspect, the things that happened were described
to me,” retired Master Sgt. Scott Gearen said. “The mind
blocks out a lot of the pain, so I don't remember much prior
to being on the airplane and jumping and then two or three
days later I knew I was severely hurt.”
Gearen
sustained major injuries to the point where he was
unrecognizable. Doctors found that he had fractured his
skull in multiple places along with several bones and
sockets shattered.
For three months of his recovery, Gearen knew he was in good hands and
was very confident of being taken care of and everything
would be ok. Having family, friends and Airmen around him
pushed Gearen to remain in the service. His drive to stay on
active duty was only a few of the reasons he continued to
serve.
“I wanted to finish in my Pararescue career
on my terms rather than having an incident like that cause
me to have an injury that I couldn't recover from. I was
blessed and lucky enough that my injuries were something
that I could overcome. It was a matter of the willpower and
the will to survive and the desire to want to continue being
a Pararescuemen.”
Lying in the hospital bed, Gearen
began to think about the positives of his current situation.
He started to recollect of being in technical school at
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico and hearing about the
commandant at the time, Senior Master Sgt. Donald Baehr,
with similar experiences. Which pushed him to recover
faster.
“He's had two parachute malfunctions and had
severe injuries on both of them and came back in the career
field as a Pararescuemen. I was thinking I only had one
parachute malfunction ... I can't quit yet unless I have least
three. If he can't quit, I can't quit.”
As his
recovery progressed, Gearen remembers it being a team effort
to help support the recovery. With some thinking that he may
never come back, they still supported his goals to stay a
Pararescuemen. To him another motivator to prove that he was
still a strong and able Airman. Gearen mentions it was an
overall team effort, which helped him put his situation in
perspective and continued to jump 18 months after the
accident.
Gearen gave a few words of advice for
Airmen, mentioning that everybody is going to have tough
times, some more than others, good day and bad days.
“You find something deep inside you that is going to make
you want to continue to pursue your job or your goal and you
just don't quit. You just keep going until you succeed,” he
said.
From his experience, Gearen has made an effort
since to reach out and continue being an Airman, to share
his message on resilience.
“After hearing about
Gearen's heroic journey, and knowing that he is a part of
our 70 ISRW family, we knew he would be a true ‘Hero Among
Us' to represent at this year's Air Force Birthday Ball,”
Capt. Aaron Morphy, 707th Communications Squadron.
This year, as an extension to the 70th ISRW family, he will
be the guest speaker for the Fort Meade and Andrews Air
Force Base, Md., 69th Air Force Birthday Ball. Guest that
attend the event will have a chance to meet and hear his
story of 29 years of resiliency through tough times, and his
inspiring journey as an American Airman.
Gearen notes
to always do your best because you never know how the
choices you make today may impact your tomorrow.
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alex Montes
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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