It was December 1988 a small 3 series BMW approached the gate of Leighton Barracks Wurzburg FRG. (Link to Photo of era) A civil servant technician Army National Guard Warrant officer drove the car. His wife was beside him and his middle school age son in the backseat. The man as they made the turn away saw again, where he had been born and where he had been conceived after World War II. A day previous, he had seen the stream as youngster his father and him and snuck away from the camp to fish illegally and the lake his father swam across on a bet and even the pool he had almost drowned. His son was coming face to face that an eight and half flight away from Houston and a couple days driving was a land that his father once called home.

Though born on the soil of Germany Maris Stipnieks was Latvian. Before his conception, his two older brothers and half sister along with father had witnessed the horrors of World War II. Maris’s oldest brother had served with the Latvian legion narrowly escaping death after the war his surviving sister endured the death of her Polish husband. His older brother grew up into his early teens in the camps. Maris’s twin sister Mudite had died at birth.  Timothy Snyder's Book The Bloodlands tells much of the story.(Warning the book is loaded with death)

The early life in the camps ironically set him on a path that was very much like his US born peers. The camps left their marks on the parents.  Young Maris was the child of promise.  Maris was regarded as the spoiled over protected baby brother once the family arrived in the United States. His older brother enlisted in the US Army. The young Maris lived a life of an American kid and Teen a bit spoiled in the prosperous post war United States. The family became American in many ways.

The story of Maris at this point is a remarkably American story. The stereotype of Vietnam era Warrant officer is a bit spoiled brat who in college majored in girl chasing, beer drinking, partying lacking discipline.(Cw2 link to book)  The other variation is man who could not afford college to avoid the draft intelligent as well.  (Chickenhawk link to book) This stereotype is based on much common experience of many aviators of the era. What is not stated is much of mental equipment used in pranks was not destroyed by basic, warrant officer flight program, and even war rather this aspect of personalty was often harnessed towards productive military ends. Ultimately, many of these men when facing a draft notice started the process to join the Warrant officer Flight program. The first phase of flight training occurred at Mineral Wells Texas. A 60s era socializing opportunity was a bus trip to TWU to meet the single women of TWU (Texas Woman’s University). Maris met his future Tejana wife in Denton Texas. There are many other warrant officers of the era with the same story. Much of the story of the helicopter war of Vietnam has been told through a series of books. (Link above) What is not told is how many chose to make a career of it. The near conscript Warrant officer instead became a near lifetime aviator.

Maris in Vietnam flew Chuck Yeager once and had worked with SOG and Special Forces. The interaction of SOG with aerial assets has been highlighted in books such DaNang Diary, Vietnam Above the Tree Tops, SOG. The Three books highlight how courage, creativity and coolness under pressure are common threads. Maris earned the remark from a commander “First man I would want under me war time last man I would want under me in peace time” Maris would mellow some in the civilian world and rejoin the world of Army Aviation as National Guardsman.

Maris was hardly alone in Austin he found men who like him had remarkably similar experiences. The group had mellowed some but their passion and creativity remained. Military aviation became an accidental career. Maris happened to have been born overseas and endured a surprisingly early life. In the early 1980s something completely remarkable and unnoticed in Austin occurred. These now aging warrior innovators were joined by the men of a now all-volunteer force many future lifers envisioned by Norman Schwarzkopf. They were very conventional thinkers in Austin instead of conflict a mutual appreciation emerged both groups found each others strengths appreciated them two future Vice Presidents of Aerospace firms Boeing and Sikorsky flew together. There were other moments a kidnapped Sherriff’s deputy found, a wrecked Cessna found tragically its occupants killed, and the occasional test of Bergstrom AFB’s readiness as an aircraft was sent unannounced at the order a USAF inspection teams. During this time, the first US Army involvement with the World Precision Helicopter fly offs began. The National Guard sent teams to compete nationally for a spot on the US team.

Latvia remained not far from view. In 1979, Maris’s father passed away and he was unable to escort the body to Smiltene Latvia. There was also some unbelievable irony. Across the street from where Maris’s parents lived and later his older brother was a couple literally star crossed lovers like the family Stipnieks sucked into World War II the man worked at Security Hill. It was only after his death in 1998 would the story emerge Rocket Scientist probably worked analyzing Soviet Missile technology. The elderly couple were ex Nazis. There were some quips made about it. In December 1981, Alzheimer’s finally took the life of his mother. In April 1982, her ashes were placed in the Baltic off Gotland as the Falklands War began. Latvia remained a piece of his heritage. In the late 1970s ex Nazi, Latvian marched under the flag of the USA in defense and ultimately offense against the Soviet Union. The family he married into made a couple jokes about the neighbors. Strangely enough, other neighbors were unaware of irony within a half a mile where they lived. It was during these years if the question had been asked if Latvia would ever be free, Germany would have been reunified the person asking it would have been thought a fool.

In early 1989 not too far removed from the journey to his birthplace and youth Maris was invited and asked to compete for a spot on the US team as a part of the Texas National Guard contingent. In March 1989, Maris made the team at Ft Rucker Alabama. The contingent from Austin was Texan with co pilots continuing a friendly UT, Texas A&M rivalry. For his son it would be the second summer time spent at Ft. Rucker.

Panama City to Ft Walton Beach area is known as the redneck Riviera. Underneath Eglin Air Force Base, there are some beachfront hotels a smattering of resorts and condos. The redneck Riviera is located within reach of Ft Rucker and it offered fishing beachfront life a nice resort to Army Aviators as well Air Force people. While famous for Spring Break, the area had steady military base of customers. In the summer of 1989 during a break from training for the International competition: The family Stipnieks fished, off the coast swam and enjoyed life on the Redneck Rivera ate gulf seafood and walked along the beech.

As a C-5 with the team departed Dothan, perhaps one of the ironic pieces of aviation history may have happened. Chievres Air Base was the site of a POW camp where Nazis were held after the war. Among those held were members of Latvian Legion of the SS ( please click on link PDF) which is the historical record. It is entirely possible that Maris’s eldest half brother had been held at Chievres air Base as a captured Nazi.

GGlasnost had brought changes. Furthermore, the USA and the world did not realize that the accident of Chernobyl had exposed 600 Soviet Helicopter pilots to fatal doses of radiation. The Soviet team was all women and the helicopters they flew had Allison engines made under license. The first seven places at the World Precision Helicopters Fly offs were US team members. Last of which is Stipnieks/Dickens. Chantilly France September 1989 ended with the US team dominating competition.

If you had said that in less than 2 months the Berlin Wall would fall in September 1989 your sanity or your sobriety would have been questioned if you added that in less than 2 years the Soviet Union would not exist you would have been thought to be mentally ill and delusional. We know what happened in October 1989. It is hard to believe the shock value as we realized the unthinkable happened. In hindsight, we almost think the following 2 years inevitable. It is only in time when things got ironic. The story is an American story as well as Latvian one.

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