MINGO JUNCTION – “It’s an emotional thing for me, but it’s amazing that 34 years have passed, and there are people still thinking about this,” Greg Hauck said not long after the ceremony paying tribute to his older brother had ended.

Thursday afternoon at Makara Field – the area between the Mingo Knights of Columbus Hall and the First Presbyterian Church of Mingo – community members, Indian Creek School District schoolchildren and officials, village representatives and members of the Mingo Business Association gathered to honor the late Capt. David L. “Nick” Hauck, a Mingo native hailed as a hero.

A 1965 graduate of Mingo High School, Hauck was flying solo in an air show with the Air Force Thunderbirds at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, on May 9, 1981. It was the day he died in an attempt to spare the lives of others.

The engine of his T-38 Talon aircraft “flamed out,” and despite a safety officer’s radio message to eject, Hauck chose to stay put, his focus to guide the plane away from spectators potentially in harm’s way.

Thursday’s ceremony was not far from Summit Avenue where the William and Margaret Hauck family lived, raising three sons – Bill, who died of cancer at age 50; Nick; and Greg, who appreciated the gesture by the Mingo Business Association and the Indian Creek School District to organize the event to remember his sibling’s sacrifice.

“You know down on the highway, there’s a sign down there that the state put up that says Capt. Nick Hauck Memorial Highway, and I was thrilled with that, but there’s still a lot of people who see that, even the people who live in Mingo today, that don’t know who that is, and this is kind of a resurrection of who Nick was and the kind of person he was, and it’s really amazing that people have gotten together to do that,” Greg said.

“That means a lot to me,” added the Wintersville resident who attended the tribute with four of his children – twins Nick and Nathan, Payton and Greggy.

The Mingo Business Association, in conjunction with the school district, served as hosts of the special ceremony that preceded the second-annual Joe Fortunato Scholarship Dinner and Community Awards Banquet at the Mingo Knights of Columbus Hall. Nick Hauck was posthumously honored in the veterans/first responders category.

The tribute included patriotic musical selections by the Hills Elementary School Choir under the direction of teacher Carolyn Cole and musical selections by the Indian Creek Middle School Choir under the direction of Courtney Gaston.

George Irvin Jr. served as master of ceremonies, welcoming the audience of about 200.

“It is an honor and privilege to be here as a representative of our village council to preside over this event,” Irvin said. “Here we gather to remember the life, service and sacrifice of one of Mingo’s own. As a village we would be hard-pressed to find a better way to begin an evening of community recognition than with this ceremony,” Irvin added.

Comments via video brought words of praise from U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta.

After graduating from MHS, Hauck attended the Air Force Academy on a presidential appointment, graduating with honors from the Class of 1971. He went on to serve the Air Force at home and abroad, including in Vietnam. Among 3,300 applicants for one opening on the Thunderbirds, Hauck was selected based on his flying skills and good character.

“Nick always knew he wanted to fly planes growing up,” Johnson said. “He never gave up trying to get into the Air Force Academy, and he worked extremely hard to earn the presidential appointment he eventually received. He loved flying, and he loved every plane that he flew. His ultimate dream came true when he was selected to the most prestigious flying team in the world – the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. He had a saying – ‘If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.’ He lived by those words daily by setting high standards for himself – a freshly ironed and pressed flight suit, a close haircut and spit-shined boots,” Johnson said.

“On May 9, 1981, he was flying solo at an air show at Hill Air Force Base in Utah when his T-38 flamed out. That means his engine stopped. He expertly piloted his powerless aircraft to make sure he cleared a residential area, and he attempted to reach the runway, but he knew he wasn’t going to make it. Heading straight toward a crowd of spectators and a farmhouse, he knew he had to take drastic action to avoid anyone being hurt on the ground, so he again flew his airplane in a way to avoid hitting the crowd, but the maneuver stalled the jet, and Nick went down,” Johnson continued.

“Nick did not die in combat, but to us he is still a true hero, an all-American hero. He knew what he wanted, to serve his country and to be the best officer and pilot he could possibly be,” he said. “He is truly our hometown hero, an all American.”

Dr. William Johns, one of five representatives of the Tri-State Marine Corps on hand, presided at a flag-folding ceremony, explaining the symbolism behind each fold before the flag was presented to Greg Hauck. Rose Angelica played taps.

Jim Freiling, vice president the MBA, had said third- through eighth-graders were invited to participate in the tribute with information provided to educate them on Hauck’s heroics more than three decades ago.

“I wanted to have a special outdoor service and invite all of the school kids to participate,” Freiling said. “A whole new generation of kids and parents will know who Capt. Nick Hauck was and what he did.”

(Kiaski can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)