Nellis rescue pilot retires after career in four branches of service Published Dec. 14, 2010 By 2nd Lieutenant Ken Lustig 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The term most people might use to describe Major Yonel "Yogi" Dorelis' career is "one-of-a-kind." However, Major Dorelis doesn't see it that way. Despite retiring Dec. 10 after a highly unorthodox, 28-year long military career in which he served in all four U.S. armed services, spent over a decade as a rescue pilot, did multiple combat deployments, and saved numerous lives, he labels himself as "just a regular guy doing a job." It is a job he began with a Marine Corps commission in 1981. He left behind his hometown of New York City, graduating from college and Officer Candidate School. His childhood dream was to become a U.S. Marine officer. He sees his time in the Marines as his career's cornerstone. "One of the greatest achievements of my life was earning that title, 'Marine.' Any success I've had in the military is a result of the things I learned as a Marine and the qualities that were instilled in me as a Marine officer," he said. However, Major Dorelis' Marine Corps career did not last long. He survived the Marines' grueling six-month long initial leadership training, only to learn there were too many pilot candidates for the number of available positions. "The last week at the basic school they just called us into an auditorium and said, 'look guys, we've got too many pilots-sucks to be you.' Well, not in so many words--but then they gave us a couple of options, and one of those options was an inter-service transfer to the Navy. The Navy was short pilots that year, and given the other options, for me that was the best course of action." Doffing his Marine Corps uniform for that of an ensign, Major Dorelis began flight school the week after he transferred to the Navy. He qualified on the CH-53 Sea Knight helicopter, participating in operations around the world as a fleet pilot, travelling to the Philippines, Singapore, the Mediterranean, and numerous other locales. He participated in Hurricane Hugo relief operations in September 1989, and deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield. His naval aviation career lasted until 1991, when the Cold War thawed and the Navy began downsizing. "There was no 'stop loss' for Navy pilots at that time, so they gave us the option to separate and I did. I went home back to New York and went to work in a management trainee position. I realized about a month into it that getting out was the worst mistake I had ever made in my life. Luckily, a friend of mine got me a better job working in the theater business, and around the same time I got an opportunity to fly in the Army National Guard." He took a position as a warrant officer and began flying the UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the "Huey." His stint in the Army lasted for about four-and-a-half years. "That was actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed it - it was a perfect mix with my civilian job. I felt like I was still in the game, flying and a part of the military. It gave me that sense of feeling good about things." More career changes came in 1997. An Air National Guard unit was stationed on Long Island near his Army Guard unit, flying the rescue mission, which was something that interested him greatly. When the chance for a transfer opened up, Major Dorelis took it, becoming a pilot for the Air Force. Within a year, however, he finally recognized that flying helicopters was the thing he truly loved to do in life. While on temporary duty to Kirtland Air Force Base for training on the HH-60 Pavehawk rescue helicopter, he applied to return to active duty. He was accepted in September 1998. In 2001, flying combat search and rescue missions took on a more personal significance. During the September 11th attacks, his brother, who worked in the World Trade Center, was nearly killed. A friend from Marine Corps Officer Candidate School who had become a financial trader, Michael LaForte, did not survive. Major Dorelis volunteered to take part in initial operations in Afghanistan. "Going to Afghanistan, being one of the first folks in country, that was good stuff to be out there and be at the tip of the spear and be able to be in the first round of pay back," he said. For Major Dorelis, it would be the first of several combat deployments, ultimately one of two to Afghanistan and five to Iraq, his unit having been in sustained combat year-round since November 2001. His flying saved the lives of over 50 people, both military personnel and civilians. During Operation Anaconda in March 2002, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for a rescue in which critically wounded soldiers needed to be evacuated from the Shahi-Kot valley during a full-scale battle with the Taliban. Thirty-nine soldiers were pinned by enemy fire. Ten others were wounded while eight were killed in action. Seven helicopter crews had tried the rescue beforehand but took too much damage from enemy fire to succeed. Major Dorelis downplayed his part in the situation. "We got the call that there were these guys who were hurt pretty bad, you know, that they could die if they didn't get out of there," he said. "A few other guys had tried to go in and get them out but couldn't get in because it was too bad -- a couple of helicopters get pretty shot up trying to get them out. We were on shift and they asked us to go in, so we said, 'ok' and we tried it. By the time it all came out, we were pretty low on gas and we got shot up a little bit, but you know, it worked out. We got in, we got them, and we got back to see another day. That's about it. "You know, it was scary, but at the time I wasn't really scared," he said. "I'm not saying I'm the kind of person who doesn't get scared or anything, it's just, you know -- you train so much all the time for the mission, and that's what you do, and it's really the best training in the world. So when you're flying in combat, it's like -- that training just kicks in. At points I was like, it would suck to die out there in that wasteland, but then you focus on solving problems and getting through it. Then later, after it's over, and you see the bullet holes in the tail and that's when you go, hey that was pretty scary. But you don't think about that while you're in it. You just focus on getting it done." Not every flying situation for Major Dorelis was in direct danger, however; he recounted the time that he flew a mission to support the filming of the movie 'Iron Man.' "The shooting only consisted of one day-but it was a lot of fun," he said. "They treated us very nice. I got to brief Terrence Howard - he came in a couple weeks before we shot it and he was asking about all our capabilities in the HH-60. I think he's an engineer by trade and he's got some kind of science degree, so he was actually pretty interested. He had some things to say about composites and I was kind of surprised that he knew about all that. He asked me some stuff, and I was like, I'm a pilot, not an engineer--you'll probably need to talk to someone else about those things. I mean, they tell me, 'don't go past this red line' and I'm like, alright, that's good enough for me. I don't know exactly what's going to happen but I know it's probably bad." To those who would follow in his footsteps, or even those whose military service might follow a more typical career path, Major Dorelis offers advice. "In our business in particular, knowing your job, being able to do the job, and being an effective part of that crew, could be the difference between a guy bleeding out in some compound in Afghanistan or getting the care he needs and subsequently home to his loved ones," he said. "You don't ever want to be the LIMFAC [limiting factor]. But everyone should know their business, regardless of what job they do, be it in finance or if they're a cop, outside the wire all the time, or whether they're an aircrewman, or anyone. You don't want to be the dead weight. You don't want to be the guy that can't be trusted. You have to know your business and do it to the utmost of your ability. That's what got me through the things I've been through and brought me success." Major Dorelis summarizes his life in the military this way, "It's been a great time. I mean, it's interesting. All your life you hear about how hard it is - I mean, it has its hardships, and some the initial training can be a little brutal - but, other than that, it's been the best deal going. I loved every second of it. It cracks me up that people think it's so horrible and so restrictive. People are always like, 'Thank you for your service.' When that happens, I'm like, 'I've been cheating the government out of a paycheck for twenty plus years getting paid to do what I love to do.' No thanks required - they're paying me to do something I'd do for free."
