Hurricane Hunter Is One of Many From Central on Active Duty Today

November 11, 2011 0 Comments

CENTRAL — 2nd Lt. Jordan Mentzer, Central High Class of 2003, is a Hurricane Hunter, a member of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron out of Kessler AFB in Mississippi. Mentzer is reporting today for survival training. He has been on active duty for two and a half years while receiving the training necessary to fly in the roughest weather.

Mentzer resides with his wife, the former Anna Ladner, also Central High Class of 2003, in Central. Jordan earned a B.A. from LSU, while Anna earned a nursing degree from Southeastern.

Jordan Mentzer has always wanted to fly. His dad, Richard Mentzer, is a pilot for UPS. His grandfather, Dick Mentzer, was a Delta pilot for 30 years.

Lt. Mentzer is currently rated to fly the W-C-130-J. The C-130 is the workhorse of Air Force transport planes. Mentzer said the “W” means the plane has been refitted as a “weather bird” and the “J” is because it is a new era of C-130’s.

Before joining the U.S. Air Force Reserves, Mentzer completed pilot training at the Airline Transport Professionals school in Dallas where he earned commercial ratings. After returning to Baton Rouge, he became the personal pilot for Baton Rouge businessman Bob Dean. He left Dean to join the Air Force.

Mentzer went through Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB, graduating in January 2009. He was the leader of his unit and was named “Distinguished Graduate.”

He completed Flight School at Columbus AFB, Mississippi.

Then he completed SERE training, which stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, in the Washington state forest. In the process, he had to withstand 48 hours of sleep deprivation and enemy interrogation. The motto of that school is “Return with Honor.”

He has completed training in Little Rock, Ark., AFB for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, which is believed to be the only such squadron in the world.

He is supposed to report for duty at the Hurricane Hunters unit on Nov. 14.

Jordan and Anna have been married for two years.

He is the son of LeeAnn LeSage and Richard Mentzer. His grandparents are Marie Mentzer, Dick Mentzer, and Mary and Curtis Hutchinson, all of Central.

Jordan has a sister, Megan Mentzer, and a brother, Michael Mentzer.

As of 2009, the United States Armed Forces included 1,445,000 men and women on active duty with another 833,000 reserves.

The breakdown was

Active Duty

U. S. Army 548,000

U. S. Marine Corps 203,000

U. S. Navy 332,000

U. S. Air Force 323,000

U. S. Coast Guard 41,000