Kevin Gaeu and Jackie Cox

Why I’m a Happy Hooligan

I am a member of the North Dakota Air National Guard (NDANG) in Fargo. As the 2nd in command of a 500-member, 7-unit Mission Support Group, I have a lot of responsibility, matched with total support from my team.
The NDANG provides trained and ready Airmen, executing world class MQ-9 precision attack and reconnaissance, kinetic and non-kinetic intelligence, and expeditionary support for our nation and state. Our Airmen protect the state and nation in the skies, ground and cyberspace.
Our ND Air National Guard’s 1,200 members is a young unit; 50 percent of our members are less than 30 years of age. The almost 95 percent retention rate after the first enlistment demonstrates the satisfaction of our people.
Why am I a member? Because every day I get to work with professionals who do not settle. Together we strive to make a difference, sup-porting North Dakota and our nation’s security. This isn’t easy. There is no playbook for a lot of the things that can happen. But knowing people who work extremely hard with me during those difficult times has developed amazing camaraderie and a shared bond. We have each other’s back.
My desire to fly for the Air Force started young. My father served in the Re-serves, which led me to persuade my family to take a vacation to the United States Air Force Academy during high school. Despite not being accepted, I attended the University of Minnesota and the Air Force Re-serve Officer Training Corps pro-gram.
After graduation, I entered active duty and completed joint Navy/Air Force pilot training, then was selected to fly the KC-135R Stratotanker, an airborne refueling aircraft. This Boeing 707 airframe was the beginning of commercial jet aviation and has been used in many platforms by the Air Force. I flew tails that were built in 1957 which continue to fly today. I participated in Operations after 9-11, in locations such as New York, Afghanistan and Iraq.
I left active duty after 10 years, then joined the NDANG and moved to Fargo where I live with my three children. I continued to fly the C-21, a small cargo and passenger airlift to some of the same overseas locations that I saw while on active duty. Air Force restructuring ended the C-21s at the NDANG, but the Happy Hooligans continued service with the MQ-1 Predator, a remotely piloted air-craft, and later the MQ-9 Reaper.
Though flying is a highlight of my military career, I served in many ways in active duty and at the NDANG. My first full-time position in Fargo was as Wing Inspector General, where my team conducted inspections and exercises to increase readiness. After nine years I was selected for my current position.
The NDANG offers a myriad of unique missions. A MQ-9 launch and recovery element flies lo-cal missions with the capability to hand over control to other ANG units remotely for training. Addi-tionally, the intelligence targeting group is helping develop this highly-requested capability. A Civil Engineer Regional Training Site trains active-duty and ANG members in multiple skills that include Rapid Airfield Damage Repair. Other numerous career functions include security forces, communications, medical, vehicle maintenance and transportation, services, finances and administration. Members work full or part-time, that it is the norm for people to change fields several times in a 20+ year career.
Only 1 percent of Americans serve in the military. In the United States Army, it is reported that 79 percent of FY23 recruits had a relative who had served. Therefore, unless you know someone in the military, as I did with my father, it is difficult to discover this unique career.
So that’s why I am a Happy Hooligan! In the Air Force, I have worked with people from all walks of life, backgrounds and demo-graphics. This support has broken down barriers of ignorance for me. I have had challenges in my personal life, and the support I have received from my teammates has strengthened my resilience, and help me continue the “Hooligan Way”.
It started generations ago. The Happy Hooligans are defending our state and nation. (NDANG In-formation is 701-451-2238.)