Fully dressed in blue, 2003 SIU graduate and U.S. Navy Lt. Ryan Chamberlain, landed his blue fighter jet and greeted the crowds at the Transportation Education Center Friday to speak to students about his experience as a Blue Angel.

Chamberlain is serving on a two-to three-year tour with the Blue Angels, a flight-demonstration squadron that represents the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The nation’s second-oldest flying team, the Blue Angels, travel to about 32 to 33 cities every year to perform demonstrations to millions of spectators, Chamberlain said.

Advertisement

Previously Chamberlain worked with Trans State Airlines for two years, joined the Navy in 2006 and was assigned to a flight squadron in October, 2009. This is his first year with the Blue Angels, he said.

“It is special to me because I got to serve with the finest men and women with the Navy Marine Corps operationally,” he said. “Now the job I get, I still get to serve with them, but now I get to tell our story to a lot of people.”

Chamberlain said his education at SIU helped him get to where he is at now, but specifically because he utilized what the university had to offer him.

“Southern Illinois University allows you endless amounts of possibilities with the faculty and staff, but you have to take advantage of those opportunities, and if you are just going to go through life seeing what people can do for you then you won’t probably go far,” Chamberlain said. “You reap what you sow.”

Chamberlain said through his new position in the Navy, he can represent the service by relating his experience to the students.

“When you show up somewhere with a blue flight suit, people are inclined to listen to you more,” Chamberlain said. “It is not they’re listening to me, but they’re listening to the stories about the people I have served with.”

Chamberlain said every person he has worked with has a different story than his. He said he tries to tell those stories to people who are uninformed about the Navy.

Advertisement*

“When you go somewhere with no Navy presence, you are now spreading the word about what the Navy is doing,” Chamberlain said. “Most people don’t know what an aircraft carrier is or that the Navy has airplanes.”

David Newmyer, chair of the aviation management and flight program, said it is exciting to see Chamberlain come back to campus.

“To me, he is Ryan, former student, and it is just wonderful to have him back, and he is a role model for the students,” Newmyer said.

Newmyer said many students have military orders, and to have Chamberlain come and tell them firsthand what to expect is a great reward for the students. More than half of the Blue Angels participants graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, so for an SIU graduate to be on that list is rewarding, he said.

Chamberlain said he tried to explain to students that any path is possible, whether it be with the airlines, Air Force or the Navy.

“I’m not trying to get anyone to sign up anyone for the military that’s not my intent,” he said.

Chamberlain said he valued his education, but did not initially consider the Navy, partially because of the lack of Navy presence in the area.

“I didn’t have a military background. I didn’t have family that did it. I didn’t have senators that wrote on my behalf,” he said. “I was a normal guy that went to school and did a few things that started to set me on a path that led me where I am today.”

Chamberlain said he enjoyed working with the airlines for two years and knew going into the Navy would be a significant change. He did not get accepted with his first application, but with a little encouragement from his recruiter, he thought he would apply again and give it a shot.

“It was surreal because I never expected that to happen, I knew how strict those applications could be and how a few people get in, and I was just a normal guy,” Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain’s advice to students was to research military positions and to not rely on one perspective.

“A lot of the people you talk to in or out of the military have different perspectives, so I wanted to talk about how unless you do the research yourself, you shouldn’t rely on one perspective,” Chamberlain said. “I don’t want people to make a bad choice because they were given bad information.”

Several students who heard Chamberlain speak said the experience was enlightening.

Karol Grzebien, a junior from Glenview studying aviation technologies, said when his class heard Chamberlain’s jet from outside of the Transportation Education Center, his professor allowed him to get out of class and see him arrive.

“It was inspirational, motivating to see him,” Grzebien said. “It was a nice experience.”

Noelia Herrera, a senior from Lake Zurich studying aviation technologies, said she did not expect to ever be in such close proximity to a Blue Angel.

“I hear so much about the Blue Angels and now there is one right in front of me,” Herrera said.

Herrera said Chamberlain was a knowledgeable source for many students who were considering the military.

“He knows a lot with his experiences so it was great to have him share what he knows with us and be a graduate of our program as well,” Herrera said.