WEBVTT 00:01.000 --> 00:03.200 Master Sergeant Mike Long has spent 39 00:03.200 --> 00:05.144 years at the Portland Air National 00:05.144 --> 00:07.256 Guard base and has seen it all , from 00:07.256 --> 00:09.367 worldwide deployments to fighter jets 00:09.367 --> 00:11.869 on a golf course . The flood of '96 and 00:11.869 --> 00:13.980 moving all the aircraft out of here , 00:13.980 --> 00:16.147 the ones that couldn't fly towing them 00:16.147 --> 00:18.313 up to higher ground , basically . When 00:18.313 --> 00:20.369 Long first arrived here in 1985 , he 00:20.369 --> 00:22.480 was a crew chief on the F-4 Phantom , 00:22.480 --> 00:24.591 an aircraft that first took flight in 00:24.591 --> 00:26.909 1958 . It's kind of fun . The guys 00:26.909 --> 00:28.965 kinda poke a little bit of fun at me 00:28.965 --> 00:31.229 and the old , uh , dinosaur days with 00:31.229 --> 00:34.470 the F-4s and things like that in 1990 . 00:34.595 --> 00:36.651 And not quite a dinosaur yet . Young 00:36.651 --> 00:38.706 airman Long had the privilege to bid 00:38.706 --> 00:40.928 farewell to the F4 and welcome in a new 00:40.928 --> 00:42.984 generation of aircraft at the base , 00:42.984 --> 00:45.262 the F-15 Eagle . A lot of the old guys , 00:45.262 --> 00:47.373 they were like , well , I'm gonna get 00:47.373 --> 00:49.484 ready and retire here soon , so , you 00:49.484 --> 00:51.539 know , this is your generation . The 00:51.539 --> 00:53.539 F-15 Eagle proved to be a long-term 00:53.539 --> 00:55.484 staple in his career , spending 34 00:55.484 --> 00:57.539 years with that airframe . I've been 00:57.539 --> 00:59.873 working on these jets , uh , since 1990 . 00:59.873 --> 01:02.959 And I feel like I've got such a level 01:02.959 --> 01:05.015 of comfort , kind of like working in 01:05.015 --> 01:07.348 your old car when the F-15 came in like , 01:07.348 --> 01:09.500 oh my gosh , you can open up the four 01:09.500 --> 01:11.660 doors and and the components come out 01:11.660 --> 01:13.827 so much easier . So they learned a lot 01:13.827 --> 01:16.220 from the F4 when they designed the F-15 . 01:16.300 --> 01:18.459 But just as the Phantom vanished , so 01:18.459 --> 01:20.626 too will Long's cherished eagle as the 01:20.626 --> 01:22.510 1402 wing has become the first 01:22.510 --> 01:24.677 operational unit in the Air Force to . 01:24.677 --> 01:26.974 Up to the F-15 EX Eagle 2 , it was 01:26.974 --> 01:29.085 exciting . It's just like it was when 01:29.085 --> 01:31.415 that first uh B model that came in from 01:31.415 --> 01:34.095 Accord and landed here and so I kind of 01:34.095 --> 01:36.317 feel like with the EX I'm going out the 01:36.317 --> 01:38.455 door and talking to the new guys I'm 01:38.455 --> 01:40.677 like , well this is your generation now 01:40.677 --> 01:42.677 it's different . We got some really 01:42.677 --> 01:44.733 good young guys out here and they're 01:44.733 --> 01:46.899 just great forward thinkers and so I'm 01:46.899 --> 01:48.955 very hopeful for the future for this 01:48.955 --> 01:51.349 unit . Long now retires as the last 01:51.349 --> 01:53.571 remaining F-4 Phantom crew chief at the 01:53.571 --> 01:55.738 Portland Air National Guard base , but 01:55.738 --> 01:57.960 has paved the way for the first F-15 EX 01:57.960 --> 02:00.071 crew chiefs at the wing . For the 142 02:00.071 --> 02:01.349 wing , I'm Stephen Conklin .