WEBVTT 00:00.740 --> 00:03.530 true . I spent a lot of time climbing 00:03.530 --> 00:05.920 around this airplane . I made , I made 00:05.920 --> 00:08.270 a good living and supported my family 00:08.460 --> 00:10.590 off of this airplane . A visit to the 00:10.590 --> 00:12.990 Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force 00:12.990 --> 00:15.300 Base Georgia brings a flood of memories 00:15.300 --> 00:18.160 for Bill Ryzik when he sets eyes on a C 00:18.160 --> 00:21.070 1 41 . It was before my time down in 00:21.070 --> 00:23.237 sheet metal . But they added a section 00:23.237 --> 00:25.380 to the front of the Bill was a second 00:25.380 --> 00:27.547 generation Robins worker . This is the 00:27.547 --> 00:29.547 first place and the only place I've 00:29.547 --> 00:31.213 ever really called home . His 00:31.213 --> 00:33.380 connection to the installation started 00:33.380 --> 00:35.324 long before he collected his first 00:35.324 --> 00:37.547 paycheck Robbins represents 63 years of 00:37.547 --> 00:39.713 my life , 18 is a dependent , a little 00:39.713 --> 00:41.713 time civil little time enlisted and 00:41.713 --> 00:43.880 then my civil service career as an Air 00:43.880 --> 00:45.936 Force brat . It's everything to me . 00:45.936 --> 00:48.540 According to Bill . In july 1973 . His 00:48.540 --> 00:51.160 father , Michael Ryzik Jr , received 00:51.170 --> 00:53.226 orders to leave Lakenheath Air Force 00:53.226 --> 00:55.392 Base in the United Kingdom . The elder 00:55.392 --> 00:57.448 Ryzik would be heading to Robin's to 00:57.448 --> 00:59.670 serve as the air traffic control chief 00:59.680 --> 01:02.860 for the 1926 Communications squadron . 01:03.240 --> 01:06.040 Bill was 13 years old at the time . 01:06.430 --> 01:08.652 Within a month or two of the first time 01:08.652 --> 01:11.850 I ever saw go vertical on 01:11.850 --> 01:15.690 takeoff . The tower that is the tower 01:15.690 --> 01:17.857 now had just been finished . It hadn't 01:17.857 --> 01:19.968 been finished long . I went up in the 01:19.968 --> 01:22.960 tower with my father . Mhm . It's an 01:22.960 --> 01:24.793 amazing view from up there . The 01:24.793 --> 01:26.793 Flightline Bill's brother , Michael 01:26.793 --> 01:28.682 Ryzik the third followed in their 01:28.682 --> 01:30.793 father's footsteps working in the Air 01:30.793 --> 01:32.960 Traffic control tower . However . Bill 01:32.960 --> 01:35.182 took a different path when I got out of 01:35.182 --> 01:37.404 the Air Force and came here . I went to 01:37.404 --> 01:39.627 sheet metal school , eventually went to 01:39.627 --> 01:41.849 school and became a C 1 41 structures . 01:41.849 --> 01:44.190 Mechanics Did a little time as a C141 01:44.190 --> 01:46.540 interim supervisor to fill a void while 01:46.540 --> 01:48.540 somebody was out on medical leave . 01:49.640 --> 01:51.760 Then I went up to building 300 and 01:51.760 --> 01:53.982 became a quality assurance specialist , 01:53.982 --> 01:56.149 doing deficiency reporting for the air 01:56.149 --> 01:58.190 force . He retired with 42 years of 01:58.190 --> 02:01.020 service in 2021 . But in the last 02:01.020 --> 02:03.320 decade of his tenure , I'm just proud 02:03.320 --> 02:05.870 to have her out here . Another Ryzik 02:05.880 --> 02:08.400 would join team Robbins . His daughter 02:08.410 --> 02:10.740 Rainey Roberts , I'm the deputy 02:10.740 --> 02:12.851 director for financial management and 02:12.851 --> 02:15.018 the robins air logistics complex . She 02:15.018 --> 02:17.410 is heading into her 14th year on base . 02:17.420 --> 02:19.700 She has worked in various capacities 02:19.700 --> 02:22.590 with the 78th Air Base Wing and Air 02:22.590 --> 02:24.701 Force Life Cycle Management Center to 02:24.701 --> 02:27.990 work at Robbins . I like the fact that 02:27.990 --> 02:30.101 we have an impact on the mission into 02:30.101 --> 02:32.434 the war fighter to support our military , 02:32.434 --> 02:34.490 something that was really passionate 02:34.490 --> 02:36.657 about And then working here at Robbins 02:36.657 --> 02:38.879 of course with our family legacy . It's 02:38.879 --> 02:40.879 just a different level of pride . I 02:40.879 --> 02:43.046 think that to know that my grandfather 02:43.046 --> 02:45.268 was here . Uh my uncle did a short time 02:45.268 --> 02:47.434 period here as well . My dad of course 02:47.434 --> 02:49.434 the self described daddy's girl , I 02:49.434 --> 02:51.490 enjoyed being able to see her father 02:51.490 --> 02:53.546 during the work day . It's been nice 02:53.546 --> 02:55.657 because even though we didn't work on 02:55.657 --> 02:55.650 the same airframes , um I worked in the 02:55.650 --> 02:57.870 15 , so for six years since I've been 02:57.870 --> 03:00.770 here and he was in C5 by the time I had 03:00.770 --> 03:02.826 come to work out here , but we could 03:02.826 --> 03:04.881 still kind of talk shop a little bit 03:04.881 --> 03:04.530 and so if there was something that was 03:04.530 --> 03:06.740 frustrating me , I'd like dad help me 03:06.740 --> 03:08.851 understand this , you know , and then 03:08.851 --> 03:11.129 being on the logistics complex side um , 03:11.129 --> 03:13.184 and him being a sheet metal mechanic 03:13.184 --> 03:15.407 before just getting an understanding of 03:15.407 --> 03:17.573 what works and work life was like from 03:17.573 --> 03:19.684 a mechanics perspective , I think was 03:19.684 --> 03:21.740 invaluable to me . The mother of two 03:21.740 --> 03:24.210 wouldn't object to one day scene , 1/4 03:24.210 --> 03:26.840 generation of Ryzik at Robin's , I 03:26.840 --> 03:29.007 would love for my daughter to work out 03:29.007 --> 03:31.173 here . Um ultimately I want them to do 03:31.173 --> 03:33.451 the path that they're passionate about , 03:33.451 --> 03:35.673 but if that should direct them here , I 03:35.673 --> 03:37.784 would be excited and would love to be 03:37.784 --> 03:37.380 able to share with them what I got to 03:37.380 --> 03:39.602 experience having my dad out here too . 03:40.140 --> 03:42.600 As for Bill , he marveled at how 03:42.600 --> 03:44.580 Robbins has evolved since first 03:44.580 --> 03:46.800 stepping foot on the base nearly 50 03:46.800 --> 03:49.500 years ago and he looks forward to what 03:49.510 --> 03:53.250 the future holds . Robin stays a 03:54.690 --> 03:57.270 integral part of middle Georgia for 03:57.270 --> 04:00.670 decades to come . Okay , I think that 04:00.670 --> 04:02.781 there's now in this community , there 04:02.781 --> 04:05.020 are , there are a lot of people that 04:05.210 --> 04:07.600 came here and stayed here , there's a 04:07.600 --> 04:09.600 lot of people that have worked here 04:09.600 --> 04:11.933 know what Robbins means , what it means , 04:11.933 --> 04:14.044 not just to middle Georgia , but what 04:14.044 --> 04:15.989 it means to the war fighter of the 04:15.989 --> 04:18.211 country . Just I would just like to see 04:18.211 --> 04:20.322 it be here to keep us vibrant for for 04:20.322 --> 04:22.670 decades to come for Robbins public 04:22.670 --> 04:24.710 affairs office . I'm keisha Foster 04:24.710 --> 04:25.150 johnson .