WHEATLAND — Ben von Forell (son of Hardy and the late Mary von Forell) graduated from Wheatland High School in 2008. His high school accomplishments earned him an appointment to the United States Navy Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he completed a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.
After that he had to select a commission in the Navy or Marine Corps. He chose the Navy for the rich history the two branches have working as a team and “… to see the world.”
Currently, von Forell is stationed at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the largest naval base in the world. It has surface, submarine and aviation assets that are home-ported there.
While he was initially interested in the submarine community, the opportunity to fly while on an exchange tour “hooked” him.
“I specifically chose helicopter as the low-level flying is fun and the opportunity to directly support soldiers and marines on the front lines is extremely rewarding. Furthermore, the mission of search and rescue is an amazing opportunity to be the hope in the sky for those in need,” von Forell said.
The helicopter he flies is the MH-60S, “which is nearly identical to the Blackhawk only with a gray paint scheme,” von Forell continued.
All pilots have interesting stories to tell, but von Forell said his were a toss-up.
“In April 2017 I had the opportunity to do a joint demonstration with NATO partners in Split, Croatia,” von Forell said. “The demonstration was for search and rescue procedures as well as helicopter visit, board, search and seizure operations. We conducted it while flying formation with a Croatian Mi-8T from the Croatian Air Force.”
The second interesting experience was in August-September of the same year.
“I was able to be a part of the Navy Task Force that responded to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas,” von Forell said. “One of the most rewarding parts of that was the multiple rescues of individuals who were forced to flee their homes due to the extreme flooding. The other part was just being part of a team that executed the mission no matter how much it took. I cannot relate how amazing it was to see how much of an effort our maintenance personnel put into supporting the helicopters flying 8-12 hours lines with the knowledge that they were helping people they had never [nor probably will] meet.”
Always an encouragement to try things, von Forell said “… that not even the sky is the limit” for WHS students. Reading the stories of the others included in this series, “… there are multiple avenues to the same dream. It is a lot of work and the most important thing is to not back down from a challenge. … one surprising thing that attending the USNA taught me was how to fail. Failing is not the end, but learning how to deal with failing is extremely valuable.”
