Not Giving up on Dreams to Become a Pilot #10

Although we were told by the drill instructor that we will fly the newest supersonic F-104 fighter jets, a senior pulled us back down to reality when he said we are all going to become communication officers. I couldn’t believe all of the intense training I endured, only to be deceived. Before leaving for home, we talked about not ever coming back to this place.

From Kagohara Station on the Takasaki Line, the closest station to the base, transferring several times, I returned home to Sekiyado (present Noda City) in Chiba Prefecture. I was greeted by a warm welcome. A local newspaper had a feature on how I overcame 37 to 1 odds to pass an exam and was working hard for my country at 16 years of age. Even the town mayor came to see me. My intense training had changed my outward appearance, I received a hero’s welcome wherever I went, and my mother was filled with pride at my successful return. At this point, I couldn’t say I was not going to return to Japan Self-Defense Forces. It would have been a disaster if I had said I quit after such a warm welcome.

I decided to go back and talk things over with my colleagues. So I boarded the train back to Kagohara Station. On the way back, I met some colleagues at Omiya Station where I transferred the train. They, too, were unable to say that they quit. We didn’t know what to do, so we just decided to go back to Kumagaya. As expected, upon arriving to Kagohara Station we were met with all of our colleagues just hanging around at the station plaza. Some had transferred several trains and traveled for a day and a half to get back here from Kagoshima. We were wondering what to do, some stating to not want to go back.

As we talked, the 9:00 PM curfew of our dorm was approaching. The base was 30 minutes away on foot. Plus, we were starting to get hungry. It was past 8:00 PM when we decided to just go back to the dorm, and think it all over again after. So we started slowly walking back. When we returned to the dorm, I think only 2 or 3 of our classmates were missing. I actually remember being really impressed that some had the courage to do what they actually wanted.

<<A Way to Becoming a Fighter Jet Pilot Actually Did Exist>>

Later I learned, that if I graduated from high school and became a commercial plane trainee pilot, a path would open to become a fighter jet pilot. However, there was no existing precedent. At that time, I was taking correspondence course for high school, and it would take too much time for me to take the test after graduating. I just wanted to start pilot training as soon as possible, so I decided on passing the University Entrance Qualification Examination. I studied alongside my training and service, and passed the University Entrance Qualification Examination in 2.5 years, something that was said to have 30 to 1 odds. Myself and one other from the student platoon gave up on a school trip to obtain our University Entrance Qualification. We also passed the next exam and believed we had acquired the qualification to become student pilots.

But just as we thought we could begin our pilot training, we were told no prior case existed, and that we have to wait for a year. That was when we were stationed at a division that commanded and controlled the air defense by using a computer-based BADGE system. I figured that since it was only a year, I began my duty. However, I never got called back. But I kept believing that my time would come and continued running 10 kilometers every day.

During my 4th year of service when I was appointed at the Kasatoriyama Sub Base in Mie Prefecture as a staff sergeant, one of my daily routines was to run to the radar site at the mountain top. But one day, as I was running up an intense curb on the mountain trail, a truck carrying water pipes came from the opposite side. It happened when we passed each other. The steel pipes came crashing down from the side of the truck. I tried to get away to avoid danger, but that was when I was heavily injured on my head.