A pilot's life for me

Halfway around the world, more than 6,700 miles away, a young man from North Idaho works among the clouds.

Capt. David Tart, a 2008 Lake City High School graduate, is an Air Force pilot with the 455th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. He flies a massive mission-ready C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft throughout the Afghan theater near where he is based at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

"Flying in Afghanistan is definitely a unique experience," Tart said in correspondence with The Press, describing the landscape as stark but vivid and void of green.

"If you could imagine the Rocky Mountains without any vegetation or wildlife, you get the mountains here that melt away into endless miles of desert," he said. "It is a harsh landscape. Now that winter is coming, the mountains have a light dusting of snow that adds another layer of texture to everything. All those factors combined create a landscape that you can't forget."

Tart's duties as a pilot are always centered on a mission.

"Seeing all the pieces that make up the coalition of forces here opens your eyes to the dedication of so many nations to this country," he said. "I don't think you could find a crew here that doesn't get satisfaction from accomplishing the mission — bringing in food and fuel to an isolated base or providing aeromedical evacuation care to wounded soldiers. Those missions validate your hard work and time."

In mid-November, the heavily secured Bagram Air Base was targeted by a suicide bomber who killed four Americans. While attacks on the base are rare, Tart said being in a combat area does come with its fair share of stress.

"It's important to be vigilant on and off duty out here," he said. "The focus is just doing our job, which in my case is bringing people and cargo all over the country and supporting the U.S. mission here to train, advise and assist Afghan forces."

Lake City High Principal Deanne Clifford had him as a student when she was teaching and he was good friends with her son. She said he’s a very goal-oriented and structured young man.

"David is one of those boys where you just knew one day you'd say, 'I knew him back then' and I knew he'd be somebody," she said. "He has always been that kind of kid you could count on. He always knew the next step and made the right decision. I'm really proud to have known him and that he's where he is right now. It's really amazing."

His mom, Kelly Tart of Rathdrum, said David wanted to see the world and get an education, and the Air Force was a great way for him to do that.

"I'm very proud of David," she said in a phone interview Friday. "He was one of those kids who had goals and went from high school to college and was very focused on what he wanted to do."

And see the world he has. He's been to more than 30 countries; he volunteered in the Dominican Republic, worked on an archeological dig in Bulgaria, flown over Alaskan glacier fields, skied in the Andes mountains, celebrated Oktoberfest in Germany, and much more.

"I have a long list of stories I could tell," he said. "To sum it up, it has been an amazing journey so far and I am looking forward to the future."

"He is very happy," his mom said. "A lot of people ask if I'm nervous. Yes, I'm nervous, but you can't dwell on it. It's out of my control. I'm happy he's doing what he loves."

David is the son of a Marine. He has three older siblings, one sister who also served in the Air Force. He was one of only nine Reserve Officer Training Corps graduates when he graduated from University of Idaho in 2012 and he was one of only two selected for pilot training. The other grad chosen was his college roommate and friend, Capt. Nicholas Bonner of Boise.

David and Bonner are still quite close; they are assigned to the same squadron in Little Rock, Ark., where they'll return next month.

"The first half of this deployment, we flew together and shared a dorm room," David said. "When we fly, we sit three feet from each other for hours. You don't get much closer than that with your coworker. It is great to have a friend you have known for years to work with. Outside the level of comfort and familiarity that provides, you already have established trust, something that is invaluable no matter where you are. Plus, it is fun to have a fellow Idahoan around to reminisce about home and college moments."

David said he comes back to North Idaho about once a year and always enjoys seeing friends and family when he returns.

"I miss you all and I wish I could be there, but I am well and in good company," he said to the folks back home. "Enjoy the holiday season and know that I'm thinking about you."