He is a pilot on the B-52H Stratofortress and a flight surgeon.
He is Capt. Dave Prakash; and, in less than two months, hopes to become a pilot physician. It's a title held by less than 12 Air Force pilots.
"In the past 20 years of military service I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most brilliant, patriotic, and talented people the United States has to offer," said Col. Blake Lollis, 2nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander. "Capt. Dave Prakash is one of those people."
Born in India, Prakash traveled to the United States with his parents in 1977 and grew up in New York.
"I, like any other pilot in the Air Force, had a certain fascination with aviation from the time I was 5," said Prakash. "But being from an immigrant family where education is paramount, (when) I went through school I happened to be good in science so I took the medicine route."
It wasn't until he was studying chemistry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was approached by a Marine recruiter that he was informed he could become a pilot.
"At this time, I was surrounded by doctors and engineers," said Prakash. "I never knew how to become a pilot."
05/05/13 Shreveport Times
