Suiting Up

Spring 2011 -- (Sidebar article for  Steve Walton is Flying High )

Ste

ve Walton doesn’t just build planes —he flies them too.

As a commanding officer in the Blackhorse Brigade of the Virginia Defense Force (VDF), Walton spends at least one weekend a month flying surveillance missions, transporting VIPs, and training for the possibility of natural disaster or terrorist attack in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The VDF is the state guard unit of Virginia. It operates under the military laws of Virginia and provides reserves for the National Guard.

“It’s a privilege to give back,” Walton said. “It’s a way for me to continue to serve my state, and my country.”

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

"It’s about being vigilant and being ready."Walton has always had a passion for military service. “I know it wasn’t a job,” he said. “It was an adventure.” In high school, he aced the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, and decided to attend the U.S. Navy’s avionics school, because it required its students to study the longest. “The longer school lasted, the more challenging I thought it was,” Walton said. “It was the best school I could get, so I chose it.”

Walton served on an aircraft carrier from 1977 through 1980. Though he was based in Virginia, his floating base did two Mediterranean tours and one through the Indian Ocean. Walton’s ship was also positioned to respond to the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. “We ate our meals on top of bombs,” he said of the time.

After leaving the Navy in 1982, Walton toyed with the idea of joining the National Guard. But his unpredictable work schedule (which included substantial travel) made it impossible for him to commit to serving a certain number of weekends a month. When he founded BaySys, the stability of owning his own company finally allowed him to enlist in the Virginia Defense Force. Conveniently, all deployments for the VDF are strictly voluntary, which has attracted a number of former military and combat veterans to its ranks.

The service is time-consuming—volunteers spend a couple days a month in training in addition to their actual service. A typical weekend might consist of running six to eight training exercises to prepare for a flood or hurricane.

“It’s about being vigilant and being ready, not about a particular mission,” Walton said. “Serving is about being there whether you’re needed at the moment or not.”

> Return to Steve Walton is Flying High

spiderID=1764

‍