Capt. Sessoms in front of a CH-46, which is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter – one of four types of aircraft that HMX-1 pilots fly.
The route that Sessoms took to this assignment was a bit more circuitous: He’s a “mustang,” a term respectfully used by Marines when referring to an officer who has served a term of enlistment in the ranks. After graduation from VMI, he enlisted in the Marines for a four-year tour, serving in a scout-swimmer unit for part of the time. He remained a reservist following his discharge as a sergeant, and after a year or so in civilian life, he was accepted to Officer Candidate School where he graduated with honors and was commissioned. After completing Officers Basic School – where he earned more honors – he was accepted for flight training and upon receiving his wings was assigned to helicopters. Like Barnes, Sessoms has also logged some hard hours flying gunships and attack helicopters, with three deployments to Iraq and most recently to Afghanistan where he participated in a major offensive in the Helmand Province. He joined the squadron in spring 2009 and is presently undergoing familiarization training on the three helicopters he’ll be flying for the next four years. Sessoms’ father, Oscar Van Pelt (Van) Sessoms III ’57, and grandfather, Oscar Van Pelt Sessoms Jr. ’27, also attended VMI, and his uncle, Louis H. Blair, holds the Mary Moody Northen Chair in Arts and Social Sciences within VMI’s Department of International Studies. HMX-1 was established in 1947 as the first helicopter squadron in the Marine Corps. It is tasked with conducting tests and evaluations on flight systems and equipment and with providing support for training exercises at Quantico, Virginia in addition to transporting VIPs. But the culmination of years of training for the pilots is attained when they take command of a helicopter and transmit over the radio, “This is Marine One … ”.
Other VMI Alumni Who Have Piloted U.S. Presidential Aircraft In addition to Capt. Sessoms ’91 and Lt. Col. Barnes ’93, the alumni listed at right have also piloted aircraft that carried U.S. presidents. There may be others, about whom we are unaware. If you have had this assignment, please e-mail us at review@vmiaa.org with information about which president you served and when:
2009-Issue 4
Lt. Col. Barnes standing next to a CH-46 helicopter, which is used by the Marine Corps to provide all-weather, dayor-night transport.
Photo above and page 12: Capt. O.V. (“Buck”) Sessoms IV ’91 and Lt. Col. Richard S. Barnes ’93 in front of a VH3D helicopter. The VH-3D is a twin engine, all-weather helicopter flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (known as HMX-1), which supports the executive transport mission for the president of the United States.
Daryl S. McClung Jr. ’65 Lt. Col. Matthew C. Howard ’87 Pilot for President Ronald Reagan Pilot for President George Bush Col. Timothy W. Fitzgerald ’83 Pilot for President Bill Clinton
Maj. Wade J. Dunford ’95 Pilot for President Barack Obama
13