Eugene R. Chojnacki

Eugene R. Chojnacki served in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1973 and the New Jersey Air National Guard from 1977 to 2006. He is a Vietnam War veteran, and after a combined thirty-five years of service, he retired at the rank of Major General in 2006. 

Prior to joining the military, Chojnacki graduated college and had a job offer to be a teacher. However, after speaking with a recruiter in the student union at The College of New Jersey, he decided to join the Air Force. Chojnacki commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1968 after completing Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. From there, he was sent to Student Pilot Training at Reese Air Force Base, also in Texas. After completing his pilot training, Chojnacki was assigned to the 20th Military Airlift Squadron out of Dover Air Force Base where he flew the C-141A. He recounted that this gave him the opportunity to travel the world, flying to countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Chojnacki was with the 20th Military Airlift Squadron during the early years of the Vietnam War. He explained that if you volunteered to go to Vietnam, you could fly the aircraft of your choice. However, after volunteering, Chojnacki was assigned the UH-1N, a helicopter, instead of the aircraft he requested. From there, he was sent to Helicopter Transition Training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. Chojnacki recalled that he was angry with the Air Force for switching him from a fixed wing aircraft to a rotary blade aircraft. Nevertheless, he completed helicopter training, followed by the UH-1N Gunnery/Special Operations Course at Hurlburt Field in Florida and Jungle Survival School in the Philippines.

Chojnacki landed in Vietnam in June of 1971 and served with the 20th Special Operations Squadron, nicknamed the “Green Hornets.” As a part of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), Chojnacki worked with a joint force of Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs. He explained that he would fly missions in Vietnam, Loas, and Cambodia, dropping small teams consisting of an Army Green Beret and indigenous fighters into enemy territory to conduct reconnaissance and combat enemy forces protecting the Ho Chi Minh trail. As a pilot, Chojnacki recalled that American forces had air superiority and thus didn’t encounter enemy aircraft but had to deal with intense ground fire.

Additionally, Chojnacki recounted that he and his fellow soldiers would spend a week out on a mission and then a week in Cam Ranh Bay for rest. He described Cam Ranh Bay as akin to a stateside base where soldiers had access to all kinds of recreation, including going to the beach or out to bars in town. Chojnacki explained that he didn’t like going back and forth between the intensity of missions and the calm of Cam Ranh Bay, stating that it was like “whiplash.”

Chojnacki returned to the States in 1972, reflecting that he looks back on his time in Vietnam as an interesting experience. He noted, however, “I’d be really pissed if I got killed over there.”

After returning home, Chojnacki was sent to Hill Air Force Base in Utah to be a flight instructor, which he described as “boring.” After serving five years of active-duty service, he decided to leave the Air Force in 1973 and got a job working for Merrill Lynch. While at Merrill Lynch, Chojnacki also earned his master’s in business administration.

In 1977, Chojnacki joined the New Jersey Air National Guard (NJANG) after a position opened as an Executive Support Officer for the 177th Fighter Interceptor Group. He went on to serve in the NJANG for twenty-nine years, holding various positions within the 177th and eventually achieved the title of Commander of the NJANG before retiring in 2006.

Additional Resources:

• Guardlife – Major General Chojnacki Retires
• Guardlife – Chojnacki Promoted to Brigadier General
• Guardlife – Combat Veteran to Head NJANG
• National Guard Bureau Biography