The director of the EMS ISD’s CCMR program was honored with a Blue Angels bucket ride during their visit to Fort Worth last weekend.
As the director of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD's College, Career, and Military Readiness program, John Fahey helps military families find a place in his district and helps students pursue a career in the military.
He's created a strong relationship with the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
It also led to a surprising call from someone at the base one day, saying they were looking for a key influencer to go on a bucket ride with the Blue Angels.
"And I got excited, and I said, 'Well, that's fantastic.' I said, 'Would you like me to find somebody in the district
to nominate?' And she said, 'No, we'd like you.'" Fahey recalled.
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"I was shocked," he added. "Trust me, it came out of left field, literally."
Fahey was originally scheduled to go up on Wednesday, ahead of the public air show on Saturday, when NBC 5 caught up with him.
His parents, wife, and two little girls were in tow.
"To me, that's everything. These guys are my whole life, and so to be able to share these moments with them
to where, you know, down the road 10, 15, 20 years from now, we can sit back and talk about this moment, that's something," Fahey said. "Because in life, it's all about the memories we create and the people we get to create them with."
Fahey was given instructions on how to prepare for his flight, including eating a light meal for breakfast and hydrating all night and morning.
A Blue Angels member also prepared him on the day of, explaining how to stay conscious as the pilot throttles into break-neck speeds-- and where to find a barf bag, if necessary.
"My goal today is to not pass out. That's my goal," he said.
Fahey's flight was postponed due to weather for Friday morning. He told NBC 5 he did keep his breakfast down.
"It was awesome," he wrote in a text. "Took me about 30 [minutes] afterward to get my feet back under me."
You can see Fahey in-flight here.
Fahey's pilot did every maneuver scheduled to be in the actual air show, about an hour's flight.
