Rey Consunji

One minute he's walking down Sandalwood's gym floor as a Finalist for Homecoming King, then the next thing you know he's walking in an Iraqi desert after his plane's been shot down trying to rid the world of tyranny. Well, maybe I took Ms. Shearer's English class too seriously with the hyperbole, but you get the picture.

Our little Rey-Rey's all grown up, and he's commanding units, flying around the world, and defending the nation. All kidding aside, we do have a lot to be proud of when looking at Captain Rey Consunji's accomplishments. Rey has been extremely busy and successful doing what he loves best --- flying, fighting for the values he believes in, unselfish and committed to a life of service to his country. In these turbulent times of conflict, we can beam with pride when we see that one of our own is helping to make sure we're all safe and protected.

So how did Rey do it and rise to such high leadership positions?

Rey's synopsis of accomplishments reads like a rock star's world tour and list of high-profile chief executive-type positions. It's Mick Jagger meets Bill Gates. After surviving Sandalwood, his journey started at Auburn University in Alabama, because that's where he heard all the Southern women went. Despite the inherent distractions of college life, Rey stood disciplined as he knew what it would take to get anywhere in life. He applied the skills he learned from Ms. Eng's Calculus class and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering in 1984. Rey then took the degree and capitalized on his Navy ROTC Scholarship (earning the free ride through college was impressive in its own right).

Then the whirlwind world tour started… After receiving initial flight training on a T-34 Turbo Mentor, the Navy's reliable propeller training aircraft, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Ensign Consunji continued his flight training by specializing in rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters). Serendipitously, this is where he met an elementary school teacher and his future wife --- the lovely former Jenifer S. Morin of St. Joseph, Missouri. He went on to marry Jenifer after receiving his "wings of gold" --- much to the dismay of several Sandalwood heart-throbs. I visited them in San Diego while Rey was stationed out there, and you could never meet a more wholesome, hot (can you be both?) lady.

Rey's first operational assignment to fly helicopters was at HC-11, a cargo support squadron that flew the H-46 Sea Knight in San Diego in 1987. Having several deployments in the Indian/Pacific Oceans under his belt as a Lieutenant (O-3), he proceeded to HC-3, another helicopter support squadron in San Diego, from 1988 to 1992, to be a Flight Instructor. But this was just the beginning of several aircraft types that Rey has flown for the Navy. This is likely why he has been promoted steadily throughout his military career.

From 1992 to 1994, Lieutenant Consunji eventually transitioned back to fixed-wing aircraft (planes) when he trained to fly the C-12 Huron, a small turboprop plane to transport mostly personnel in Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas. (The Navy in its infinite wisdom has bases in these ports of call, so ships can dock right up to landlocked areas.) Despite the temptations of getting out of the Navy and flying as a commercial airline pilot with a lucrative, prosperous lifestyle, Rey saw that it was duty to your country and protecting its people as the higher purpose. But that didn't mean he wasn't up for bigger and better things.

Rey had loftier goals in which he started to fly larger and larger aircraft. He operated the C-130 Hercules, the huge Marine-looking transport plane, out of Moffett Field in San Jose, California, from 1994 to 1997. In 1997 and 1998, he flew the C-20D, a Gulfstream III jet-type aircraft, in Andrews Air Force Base at Washington, DC, transporting big-wigs around like Generals, Admirals, and Legislative dignitaries.

Throughout all this flying and varied experiences, Rey was groomed for command after he reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander (O-4). He was Officer-in-Charge in Naval Air Station Atlanta (another land-locked port of call) from 1998 to 2000. At this time, he really dreamed big and started flying the C-9 Skytrain, the military counterpart of the commercial DC-9. The size of aircraft matched the lofty positions he held (size does really matter), as he was then tapped to command his own units. He was assigned to Commander of the Naval Air Reserve Force in Naval Air Station New Orleans for one year, and then, he commanded his own C-9 squadron, having reached the rank of Commander (O-5). From 2001 to 2004, he worked his way through as the Executive Officer of VR-57 (second in command) in San Diego and then became the head cheese as its Commanding Officer (affectionately known as the "Skipper", the highest position of a Navy squadron).

Just when you thought his exhausting career had slowed down, Rey (now a Captain, or O-6 level) actually then earned a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, in March 2005 on the Navy's tab. This is where prospective high-level Navy personnel are trained for joint command positions to start integrating the other military services. He is currently stationed in Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois, and assigned to U.S. Transportation Command where he commands the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center. This joint operational tour's mission is to coordinate airlift in support of the joint (no, not that kind of joint) war-fighter. When we ask him what's in store for the future, his response was "to always love and provide for my family and continue selfless service to this great nation of ours".

Rey's whirlwind tour certainly has taken him to the far reaches of the earth (from Kuwait to Australia) --- places we can only dream to visit one day. It's funny --- I keep running into him in different places around the globe when I was a Flight Surgeon in the Navy. We actually ran into each other on Black's Beach in San Diego while he was doing some surfing. I also visited him in Naval Air Station Dallas, and then he flew into Pensacola one morning for my Flight Surgeon Graduation. I believe I also saw him in Washington, D.C. when he was stationed in Andrews Air Force Base and I was doing my internship in Bethesda Naval Hospital. When I was stationed in Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, he met up with my wife there while I was deployed to Somalia (hmmm…that doesn't sound too good when I write it down).

Despite all the accolades and lofty positions that Rey has attained, his proudest accomplishment is still his two sons, Anthony (age 14) and Alexander (age 12) with Jenifer. They all now live in O'Fallon, Illinois, where the Navy has stationed all their best landlocked personnel. He still, however, keeps his roots in Jacksonville by owning a home in south Jacksonville Beach.

We can all be proud of Rey, not only because he has reached such heights but he continues to fight for Americans and the freedoms we enjoy. In this time of war, we all salute the women and men who persevere to protect us while they themselves may be put in harm's way. He can now run for Class Hero instead of Homecoming King!