“You can do whatever you want, you just can’t come back here.” Chris Gould still remembers those words from his parents when he was told there wasn’t an opportunity for him on the family farm after high school. While he could’ve chosen any educational or career path, Gould’s innate calling to serve, and the lure of financial assistance, led him to apply for a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship at the University of Illinois.
After graduating from the U of I in 1991, Gould was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
He received orders to attend flight school in Pensacola, Florida, before being selected for jet training in Kingsville, Texas. He received his wings in September 1994. During his 10 years of service, Gould graduated from the “Top Gun” Fighter Weapons School, was a tactics instructor for the East Coast Hornets and served in deployable, warfighting fleets.
But the most impactful moment came on Sept. 11, 2001. “On the morning of Sept.
11, I was driving to work and was listening to news reports like everyone else. Shortly after I got there, it was decided a few jets, including mine, would get loaded with live missiles and fly onto the USS George Washington off the coast of New Jersey. We took turns sitting Alert 15 for the next few days, which means we had to sit in our flight gear and be airborne within 15 minutes of the launch order.
On the morning of Sept. 12, I woke up and was walking out on the flight deck and we were in Ne.