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Suburban News
Hamlin-Clarkson Herald
Westside News Established 1953 Serving the communities of Spencerport-Ogden, Churchville-Riga, North Chili, Hilton-Parma, Hamlin, Clarkson, Kendall, Bergen, Clarendon, Holley-Murray, Brockport-Sweden
September 6, 2020
Issue No. 35
westsidenewsny.com
Churchville aviator celebrated with military “final flight” to cap 40-year career by Joanne Michielsen
commissioned officer corps. Upon graduation as a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, Sauer served in South Korea until 1989 New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer as a medical evacuation pilot. While overseas, he completed 4 James Sauer, a Churchville resident and Army aviator more than 110 medevac missions, including shipboard with more than 6,000 hours in the air, capped his 40-year transfers and field site pickups. career on Tuesday, August 25, with a traditional military Sauer was then assigned to Fort Drum, New York, from “final flight” salute in Rochester. Upon landing, his C-12 1989 to 1993 as an assault helicopter pilot with the 10th airplane passed under two streams of water sprayed by Mountain Division, conducting field training exercises, Rochester Airport crash trucks. multi-ship operations in day, night, and night vision goggle Family, friends, and colleagues were on hand to wit- conditions. ness the salute. His wife and grandchildren were among As a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Sauer deployed for those who greeted him on the tarmac. Sauer said the counter-drug operations in the Bahamas. “We were down outpouring of love he received there intercepting boats that were was overwhelming. One family smuggling drugs up the island member unable to attend was chain, mostly from the Dominican his son, Josh, who was out of Republic and Haiti. It was very state on temporary duty with intense, flying low level to avoid the Air Force Reserve unit out being detected and over a lot of of Niagara Falls. open water, which can be nerveJames Sauer began his miliracking.” tary career in 1979. He was in Flying in Somalia as part of basic training at Fort Knox, Operation Restore Hope was also Kentucky, when the Ameria memorable experience for Sauer. can Embassy in Tehran was “We got there from Fort Drum in invaded in November of that January 1993, and the country year. “While basic training was was a disaster. We landed at the tough, I remember it seemed international airport at Mogadithe entire mood of our training shu, and I just couldn’t believe changed. There was an intense what I was seeing. The airport focus from our training cadre. It terminal was just a few crumbling seemed we were going back on buildings, merchant ships were a war footing, and they wanted sunk in the harbor, and concertina us prepared,” Sauer said. “For wire was strung around the entire a young guy from Churchville, airfield,” he said. “Once we got to I wanted adventure, but it our base of operations, we began seemed like I bit off more than moving troops and supplies around I could chew!” the region we were operating in, After completing his initial which was about 60 miles inland training, Sauer served as an from Mogadishu. We did a lot of Armor Crewman in Schwabach, humanitarian support while we Germany, where he continually Chief Warrant Officer 4 James Sauer. Provided photo. were there, but it seemed like it rotated to the Czechoslovakian was only a drop in the bucket.” border for security missions. “From there, we would patrol Sauer left active duty in 1993 only to join the New York open areas between the two countries and monitor forces Army National Guard two years later while he was also in the area. It was very exciting.” serving as a patrolman with the Rochester Police DepartSauer returned home when his enlistment ended in 1982 ment and studying at Roberts Wesleyan College, earning and started dating fellow Churchville-Chili High School a B.S. in Organizational Management. He participated in alum, Marie Ogden. They married in 1983 and welcomed countless aviation training events focused on the newly son Joshua in 1984 and daughter Laura in 1986. fielded UH-60 aircraft. In 2000, he completed a fixed-wing In 1987 Sauer went on to attend Warrant Officer Flight aircraft transition course and was reassigned to the C-12. School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. A Warrant Officer is a Of his time with the National Guard, Sauer said his technical expert who focuses on one particular field for deployment to Afghanistan as part of Task Force ODIN the Army. Warrant Officers fall in between the Army’s was particularly meaningful. “We were part of a group non-commissioned officers, known as sergeants, and the that deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, in the fall of 2009,
Sauer’s C-12 airplane passed under two streams of water sprayed by Rochester Airport crash trucks. Provided photo.
James Sauer was joined on the tarmac by his wife, Marie, and their grandchildren, among other well-wishers. Provided photo. flying modified C-12 observation airplanes. Our mission was to monitor ground activities of friendly and hostile forces in real-time to assist ground commanders in the area. Being able to assist our troops that were in the fight against Taliban forces really gave me a sense of accomplishment.” He deployed again in 2014, supporting missions on the Horn of Africa in Djibouti, including the movement of personnel and cargo transport to numerous locations on the African continent. Sauer has more than 6,100 hours of combined military and civilian aviation flight time. He left the Rochester Police Department in 2000 to become an airline pilot for American Eagle Airlines. His break from law enforcement was short-lived. “Following the events of 9/11, the airline industry took a downward turn, and I got the opportunity to fly for the New York State Police in 2004 as a civilian pilot.” He’s been with the Aviation Unit in Rochester ever since. “My primary job is a helicopter pilot for the state. In that capacity, I’m involved with a variety of tasks - assisting state and local police agencies in searches for missing persons, rescuing stranded/injured people that we have to hoist from confined areas, active police searches for criminal suspects, and vehicle pursuits.” Most recently, Sauer was overhead during the looting and burning of vehicles and property in Rochester. “We were assisting ground units with coordination between events on the ground and riot control officers.” A member of Open Door Baptist Church in Chili, Sauer is a man of deep faith. He said, “I’ve had a long and wonderful career in aviation, but there have been many times I’ve been afraid of events. Being separated for months on end from my family took a toll. I’ve missed so much of my kids growing up where my wife had to take care of things in my absence. But my love and faith in Jesus Christ has seen me through to this day. Philippians 4:13 tells us, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ ” Looking ahead to life after his military service officially comes to a close in January 2021, Sauer said, “We are so blessed to be living in this community and look forward to many years here with our family and friends.”