Pilot surpasses 5,000 flight hours Published Jan. 20, 2010 By Staff Reports 37 Helicopter Squadron F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo -- A pilot with the 90th Missile Wing's 37th Helicopter Squadron surpassed 5,000 flight hours during a UH-1N Huey mission Dec. 25. Lt. Col. Shawn Henrie, 37th HS, completed his landmark flight Christmas morning while supporting Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz's visit to troops on duty that day. "It's been a great adventure the whole way," Colonel Henrie said. "I have worked with outstanding people and done fun, challenging and rewarding things in both peacetime and wartime. You'll never wipe the smile off my face." Colonel Henrie began flying in 1989 and has flown both the single engine and twin engine UH-1 and the now retired MH-53J/M PAVELOW. While serving in Air Force Special Operations Command, he participated in multiple contingency operations including Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was the aircraft commander on the last flight of aircraft 68-0357, an MH-53M, before it was returned from Iraq and put on display in the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. His decorations include the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with Valor and the Meritorious Service Medal. According to Lt. Col. Clarke Pleasants, 37th HS commander, most helicopter pilots accumulate between 2,500 and 3,000 hours in the span of a career. "For Shawn to eclipse five thousand hours is a tribute to his dedication to the mission and willingness to get the job done," he said. "Shawn is one of the greatest assets in the helicopter community, and his work ethic and devotion to the Air Force speaks for itself." Colonel Henrie has seen the world, and being a helicopter pilot, he saw it low level, up close and in person. "Our motto in the Special Operation Squadron was 'anywhere, anytime,' but the way we did it was everywhere, all the time," Colonel Henrie said. "There might be a few small corners of the planet that I haven't been in, but they are few." "The two biggest highlights for me were being the 20th Expeditionary Squadron commander, deployed in Iraq and knowing we got the mission done and got everyone home safe," he added. The other was getting to be an instructor and teaching other guys to fly."