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Story and photo by Spc. Elizabeth Cole, 9th Mission Support Command
Lt. Col. Jordan Clouse, deputy staff judge advocate for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 9th Mission Support Command, speaks to an air-traffic controller after taking off for a flight over Oahu, Hawaii. Clouse, also a licensed pilot, combines his love for flying with his everyday job by using the aircraft to carry out missions on other islands. 10
WARRIOR–CITIZEN
HONOLULU – “Clear!” the pilot yells, looking around as he starts the engine of a Cessna 172R, an airplane with a cockpit no larger than the inside of a sports car. With his headphones secured tightly to his head and the microphone kissing his lips, he reviews the pre-flight checklist in preparation for a short flight around the island of Oahu. Turning knobs and switching gauges, he mentally checks one item off the list at a time. Within minutes, the plane is soaring just below the clouds. Being a licensed pilot and a practicing lawyer is all in a day’s work for Lt. Col. Jordan Clouse, deputy staff judge advocate for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 9th Mission Support Command at Fort Shafter Flats.
Recently, he found a way to combine his love for flying with his everyday job. He and a colleague were called to Maui to help provide powers of attorney, wills and legal consultations to Reserve Soldiers. Clouse saw the mission as a chance to put his skills to good use. “We had battle assembly that weekend so we went to first formation at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and left straight from there to Honolulu Airport. We were off the ground by 8:30 a.m.,” explained Clouse. “We flew to Maui and were set up for work by 10:30 a.m. After we saw about 20 Soldiers, we were done by 1:30 p.m. and flew home. The best part was, we still made it in plenty time for our 4 p.m. final formation.” Clouse explained he was able to support the mission about three and a half hours quicker and a