By Air Force Airman 1st Class Tom
Brading
Joint Base Charleston
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C., April 26,
2012 – A member of the Skvarna family has served in the skies to defend the
United States since World War II.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew Skvarna, an
instructor loadmaster with the 17th Airlift Squadron, 437th Airlift Wing here,
said pinning on his aircrew wings, lacing up his combat boots and boarding a military
aircraft is a family legacy.
The story begins in 1942, with a
17-year-old Czechoslovakian-born teenager, Edward M. Skvarna, Matthew's
grandfather. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Edward M. enlisted
in the Army Air Corps, hoping to become a pilot.
"My father joined the military for
two reasons," said Edward B. Skvarna, Matthew's father. "He wanted to
see the world, and he didn't want to be stuck working in the steel mills of
Pittsburgh his whole life. For him, being an aircrew member during World War II
was everything he dreamed it would be. He loved the dangerous aspects of flight
missions and the adventurous skies of combat."
During the Pacific campaign, Skvarna and
his aircrew soared through the darkness of enemy-infested skies and gathered
photo intelligence in a B-29 Superfortress, one of the heaviest long-range
bomber aircraft flown during the war.
On one mission, the eldest Skvarna was
preparing for battle as a right gunner on the B-29. He was colorblind, and even
though that disqualified him from becoming a pilot, he did qualify for other
jobs to the advantage of the Allied forces.
"Being colorblind didn't slow my
grandpa down," Matthew said. "It was during that flight over the
Japanese harbor when he proved that."
While gathering intelligence from a
bird's-eye view, the eldest Skvarna spotted something in the harbor that didn't
look right. He spotted the outline of an Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft
carrier that was camouflaged to blend in with the colors of the sea.
For everyone on the Superfortress, the
carrier was virtually invisible. However, Edward M. noticed the ship
immediately because of how differently his vision interpreted the colors.
"He kept telling the crew he saw a
Japanese warship in the water," grandson Matthew said. "At first,
they thought he was crazy -- nobody else in the air could see anything. He
stuck to his guns, though. A U.S. Navy submarine confirmed the Japanese
aircraft carrier, Shinano, was in the harbor. The USS Archer Fish sunk the
carrier in November 1944. My grandfather's disadvantage may not have allowed
him to become a pilot but it ended up saving countless lives by sinking one of
the largest Japanese ships during the war."
The eldest Skvarna received an Air Force
Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during the Pacific campaign. He
became a school teacher in California after leaving the military.
That’s where Matthew's father, Edward
B., grew up, listening to his dad's heroic war stories and enlisting in the Air
Force after high school. He went on to retire as a captain in the Air Force
Reserve. During every mission, Edward B. wore his dad’s old flight
wings,battered from use during World War II.
"Being a loadmaster was an amazing
experience," he said. "I've always had pride in my military
experience. Even after the Vietnam War, when some people didn't have pride, I'd
proudly wear my uniform in front of them."
Today, Matthew's father is chief of
police at the Bob Hope International Airport in Burbank, Calif. He makes it
part of his job to approach every uniformed service member and thank them for
their service to the country.
One of his greatest accomplishments in
the military came years after he retired from military service.
Matthew was able to give his father,
Edward B., a tour inside the C-17 Globemaster III shortly after it landed in
Long Beach, Calif. It was during that tour that Matthew's father noticed the
impact his generation had on today's loadmasters.
The original design engineers of the
C-17 flew multiple flights around the world with various aircrew members,
including Matthew's father, while they were brainstorming the internal design
of the new C-17. It was on those flights that Matthew's father suggested design
changes that were made on upcoming aircraft.
"I sat the design engineers down
and told them exactly what loadmasters needed to be safer and to do their job
better, such as fixing troop seats, loadmaster's crew positions on the plane
and having a weight balance computer for loadmasters," said Matthew's
father. "When Matt gave me a tour of the plane he flies all over the world
in, I noticed the designers made every adjustment I suggested years ago. It's
rewarding for me because not only did I take part in helping future loadmasters
stay safe and do their job more efficiently, one of those loadmasters is my
son."
Although the youngest Skvarna came from
a military family, he didn't join the Air Force right after high school.
"My grandfather knew I'd join the
military before I ever considered it," Matthew said. "One of the
proudest moments he had was when I became a loadmaster, because not only was I
doing a similar job as my father did in the military, but also a similar job to
what he once did."
Joining the Air Force also gives Matthew
a deeper understanding of both his father and grandfather. The C-17 he flies in
soars thousands of feet above the same foreign lands as his father and
grandfather's planes did years ago. His grandfather's flight wings, he said,
are worn from age and the years of wear from his father wearing them. Today,
the same wings are proudly displayed on Matthew's flight suit.
"Wherever I deploy, there is always
a bond that I share with generations of air crew members before me,"
Matthew said. "It is an unspoken bond shared among my grandpa, dad, myself
and countless veterans all over the world. Having such a powerful commonality
bridges my family's history with the Air Force's history. As the Air Force has
changed, so have I."
"Matt didn't know it at the
time," said Matthew's father. "But I influenced him at an early age
to be a loadmaster. He's always had the perfect attitude; he is a flexible
person that thinks outside the box. I would have been proud no matter what he
did in life, but carrying on the air crew legacy of his grandfather and me as
successfully as he has, has made his grandfather and me very proud."
Matthew's grandfather passed away in
2010, shortly after Matthew's third deployment as a loadmaster.
Today, Matthew still brings his father
and grandfather's flight wings on missions all over the world.
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