1 00:00:00,740 --> 00:00:03,530 true . I spent a lot of time climbing 2 00:00:03,530 --> 00:00:05,920 around this airplane . I made , I made 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,270 a good living and supporting my family 4 00:00:08,460 --> 00:00:10,600 off of this airplane . A visit to the 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,990 Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force 6 00:00:12,990 --> 00:00:15,300 Base Georgia brings a flood of memories 7 00:00:15,300 --> 00:00:18,160 for Bill Ryzik when he sets eyes on a C 8 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,080 1 41 . It was before my time down the 9 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:23,247 sheet metal . But they added a section 10 00:00:23,247 --> 00:00:25,380 to the front of the Bill was a second 11 00:00:25,380 --> 00:00:27,547 generation Robins worker . This is the 12 00:00:27,547 --> 00:00:29,547 first place and the only place I've 13 00:00:29,547 --> 00:00:31,213 ever really called home . His 14 00:00:31,213 --> 00:00:33,380 connection to the installation started 15 00:00:33,380 --> 00:00:35,324 long before he collected his first 16 00:00:35,324 --> 00:00:37,491 paycheck . Robbins represents 63 years 17 00:00:37,491 --> 00:00:39,436 of my life , 18 is independent , a 18 00:00:39,436 --> 00:00:41,491 little time , civil service , little 19 00:00:41,491 --> 00:00:43,713 time enlisted and then my civil service 20 00:00:43,713 --> 00:00:45,936 career . So it's as an Air Force brat . 21 00:00:45,936 --> 00:00:47,991 It's everything to me . According to 22 00:00:47,991 --> 00:00:49,824 Bill . In july 1973 his father , 23 00:00:49,824 --> 00:00:51,936 Michael Ryzik JR , received orders to 24 00:00:51,936 --> 00:00:54,102 leave Lakenheath Air Force Base in the 25 00:00:54,102 --> 00:00:56,269 United Kingdom . The elder Ryzik would 26 00:00:56,269 --> 00:00:58,380 be heading to Robin's to serve as the 27 00:00:58,380 --> 00:01:01,370 air traffic control chief for the 1926 28 00:01:01,380 --> 00:01:04,680 Communications squadron . Bill was 13 29 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,980 years old at the time . Within a month 30 00:01:06,980 --> 00:01:08,980 or two of arriving the first time I 31 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:11,850 ever saw go vertical on 32 00:01:11,850 --> 00:01:15,690 takeoff . The tower that is the tower 33 00:01:15,690 --> 00:01:17,857 now had just been finished . It hadn't 34 00:01:17,857 --> 00:01:19,968 been finished long . I went up in the 35 00:01:19,968 --> 00:01:22,960 tower with my father . Mhm . It's an 36 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:24,793 amazing view from up there . The 37 00:01:24,793 --> 00:01:26,793 Flightline Bill's brother , Michael 38 00:01:26,793 --> 00:01:28,682 Ryzik the third followed in their 39 00:01:28,682 --> 00:01:30,793 father's footsteps working in the Air 40 00:01:30,793 --> 00:01:32,960 traffic control tower . However , Bill 41 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,127 took a different when I got out of the 42 00:01:35,127 --> 00:01:37,127 Air Force and came here . I went to 43 00:01:37,127 --> 00:01:39,349 sheet Metal School , eventually went to 44 00:01:39,349 --> 00:01:41,460 school and became a C141 structures . 45 00:01:41,460 --> 00:01:43,590 Mechanics Did a little time as a C141 46 00:01:43,590 --> 00:01:45,646 interim supervisor to fill to fill a 47 00:01:45,646 --> 00:01:47,812 void while somebody was out on medical 48 00:01:47,812 --> 00:01:51,080 leave . Then I went up to building 300 49 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,802 and became a quality assurance 50 00:01:52,802 --> 00:01:54,524 specialist doing um deficiency 51 00:01:54,524 --> 00:01:56,510 reporting for the air force . He 52 00:01:56,510 --> 00:01:58,830 retired with 42 years of service in 53 00:01:58,830 --> 00:02:01,950 2021 , but in the last decade of his 54 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:04,172 tenure , I'm just proud to have her out 55 00:02:04,172 --> 00:02:06,890 here . Another Ryzik would join team 56 00:02:06,890 --> 00:02:09,550 Robbins , his daughter Rainey Roberts , 57 00:02:09,750 --> 00:02:11,861 I'm the deputy director for financial 58 00:02:11,861 --> 00:02:14,083 management and one robins air logistics 59 00:02:14,083 --> 00:02:16,500 complex . She is heading into her 14th 60 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:18,450 year on base . She has worked in 61 00:02:18,450 --> 00:02:20,880 various capacities with the 78th Air 62 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,490 Base Wing and Air Force Life Cycle 63 00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:25,770 Management Center to work at Robin's . 64 00:02:25,780 --> 00:02:28,450 Um , I like the fact that we have an 65 00:02:28,460 --> 00:02:30,404 impact on the mission into the war 66 00:02:30,404 --> 00:02:32,293 fighter to support our military , 67 00:02:32,293 --> 00:02:34,349 something that was really passionate 68 00:02:34,349 --> 00:02:36,516 about and then working here at Robbins 69 00:02:36,516 --> 00:02:38,738 of course with our family legacy . It's 70 00:02:38,738 --> 00:02:40,738 just a different level of pride . I 71 00:02:40,738 --> 00:02:42,904 think that to know that my grandfather 72 00:02:42,904 --> 00:02:45,127 was here . Uh my uncle did a short time 73 00:02:45,127 --> 00:02:47,293 period here as well . My dad of course 74 00:02:47,293 --> 00:02:49,293 the self described daddy's girl . I 75 00:02:49,293 --> 00:02:51,349 enjoyed being able to see her father 76 00:02:51,349 --> 00:02:53,404 during the work day . It's been nice 77 00:02:53,404 --> 00:02:55,516 because even though we didn't work on 78 00:02:55,516 --> 00:02:57,627 the same airframes , um , I worked in 79 00:02:57,627 --> 00:02:59,793 the 15th , so for six years since I've 80 00:02:59,793 --> 00:03:01,960 been here and he was in C5 by the time 81 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,016 I had come to work out here , but we 82 00:03:04,016 --> 00:03:03,310 could still kind of talk shop a little 83 00:03:03,310 --> 00:03:05,477 bit and so if there was something that 84 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:07,643 was frustrating me , I'd like dad help 85 00:03:07,643 --> 00:03:09,643 me understand this , you know , and 86 00:03:09,643 --> 00:03:11,643 then being on the logistics complex 87 00:03:11,643 --> 00:03:13,754 side um , and him being a sheet metal 88 00:03:13,754 --> 00:03:13,280 mechanic before just getting an 89 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,720 understanding of what works and work 90 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,442 life was like from a mechanics 91 00:03:17,442 --> 00:03:19,664 perspective , I think was invaluable to 92 00:03:19,664 --> 00:03:22,330 me . The mother of two wouldn't object 93 00:03:22,340 --> 00:03:25,350 to one day scene , 1/4 generation of 94 00:03:25,350 --> 00:03:27,517 Ryzik at Robin's , I would love for my 95 00:03:27,517 --> 00:03:29,239 daughter to work out here . Um 96 00:03:29,239 --> 00:03:31,350 ultimately I want them to do the path 97 00:03:31,350 --> 00:03:33,517 that they're passionate about , but if 98 00:03:33,517 --> 00:03:35,683 that should direct them here , I would 99 00:03:35,683 --> 00:03:37,906 be excited and would love to be able to 100 00:03:37,906 --> 00:03:37,380 share with them what I got to 101 00:03:37,380 --> 00:03:39,602 experience having my dad out here too . 102 00:03:40,140 --> 00:03:42,600 As for Bill , he marveled at how 103 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,580 Robbins has evolved since first 104 00:03:44,580 --> 00:03:46,800 stepping foot on the base nearly 50 105 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,500 years ago and he looks forward to what 106 00:03:49,510 --> 00:03:51,454 the future holds , hope that Robin 107 00:03:51,454 --> 00:03:55,340 stays a integral 108 00:03:55,340 --> 00:03:57,800 part of middle Georgia for decades to 109 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,690 come . Okay , I think that there's now 110 00:04:01,690 --> 00:04:03,801 in this community , there are , there 111 00:04:03,801 --> 00:04:06,140 are a lot of people that came here and 112 00:04:06,140 --> 00:04:08,251 stayed here . There's a lot of people 113 00:04:08,251 --> 00:04:10,473 that have worked here know what Robin's 114 00:04:10,473 --> 00:04:12,473 means , What it means , not just to 115 00:04:12,473 --> 00:04:14,584 middle Georgia , but what it means to 116 00:04:14,584 --> 00:04:16,807 the war fighter of the country . Just I 117 00:04:16,807 --> 00:04:18,862 would just like to see it be here to 118 00:04:18,862 --> 00:04:21,084 keep us vibrant for for decades to come 119 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,010 for Robin's Public Affairs office . I'm 120 00:04:24,010 --> 00:04:25,150 keisha Foster johnson .