David Ahlschwede
David Ahlschwede spent20 years as a combat cameraman, telling the stories and recording the history of the United States Air Force. “It was a great job,” said Ahlschwede who now teaches 4th grade at Wylie East Elementary. “My job was to document everything the Air Force was doing.” He was stationed in Spain, New Hampshire, Arizona, Italy and California and was deployed numerous times, including a trip to Iraq. He documented numerous aircraft accidents, day-to-day operations in Baghdad and the Iraqi elections. He said his job was relatively safe compared to what others were doing. “I wasn’t the one knocking down doors,” he said. “I came by later and documented what happened. I never felt in danger. There were a few times where I was a little nervous, but for the most part, my job was pretty safe.” One of Ahlschwede’s favorite memories was documenting the Iraqi elections. He said the media was reporting that no one was voting. “I jumped on a helicopter and took some pictures of these long lines of people,” he said. “I just took pictures of everybody I could out there voting. That was pretty neat. Some of them were pushing their elderly parents in wheelbarrows down the highway so they could vote.” Ahlschwede is now teaching 4th-grade math, and he said his years in the military help him relate to what his students go through when a parent is deployed. The families are the ones who have the toughest job in the military, he said. “You don’t hear about the families,” he said. “For me it was my job. For them, it was a huge sacrifice. They are not able to set down roots. My kids were constantly leaving their best friends–that’s tough. They are the unsung heroes.”
