FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Any pilot will tell you there's nothing like flying. CW2 Ian Tamborino got to work his dream job as a pilot and a soldier, which was a win-win for him. "There is definitely a cool factor to flying Army helicopters, besides my dad was in the Army, and it worked out for him, so I thought, why not?"

Tambornino is in his 11th year in the Army, working hard to return to the cockpit. In February of 2023, the unthinkable happened while training in Alaska. "I was in a pretty horrific helicopter accident. The helicopter I was in rolled over, and bits of it broke apart, came through my crew station canopy, and impacted my arm in three spots. It tore out a good chunk of the flexor tendon in my hand, severed my ulna nerve, and lacerated every vein in my arm. I was bleeding pretty bad."

As he describes the day his life flashed before him, he shares the good news that his crewmate who was on the chopper with him has recovered and is already back flying. "He pulled me out and got the tourniquet on me. He and another crew member heroically helped me and saved my life."

He was medically evacuated from the scene by civilians and brought to the hospital. "They had to repair the ulna nerve in my arm, and they basically rebuilt my arm. When I was on convalescent leave, my unit did the paperwork for me to recover at the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; that's where I went."

He knew nothing about the Army Recovery Care Program's Soldier Recovery Units but revealed his commander did. "He knew someone who had gone to the SRU for a medical condition that prevented him from flying, and while he was there, he was able to get his condition remedied and was able to fly again."

That is Tambornino's goal. And yes, people look at him funny when he quickly says he wants to get back into the cockpit. "Most people are taken aback and are like, are you sure? I just love it. It's that simple to me. I love flying my helicopter," said the active-duty soldier.

His time at the JBLM SRU since April of 2023 has involved trying to recover in adaptive reconditioning events. He never thought he would be doing some of them, but he tried them, given he didn't have full use of his arm yet. "I did a lot of Yoga before I started getting back into the books with career, education and readiness stuff. It was the only thing at the time I found I could do because of my arm. It definitely helped me increase my range of motion. I never did Yoga before."

He is gradually working on requirements for PT so he can return to duty." I'm getting stronger still every day."

Tambornino recognizes the value of having the SRU at JBLM available to him while he is recovering from his accident. "It's great because being here gives you time to focus on what you need to recover. For example, I would still have to do mission planning and regular work if I were still in a unit. The SRU truly lets you prioritize your recovery."

Getting back to flying is his goal, so he is taking advantage of training and educational opportunities in flying at JBLM. "My Transition Coordinator, Mary Ball, brought that up as an option. She really helped me. I knew I wanted to maintain my status, and she knew how to connect me."

Tambornino contacted one of the instructor pilots at the airfield and is now working with their pilots to do the ground school side of flying. "I am maintaining proficiency in the books, knowing the emergency procedures and limitations of the aircraft, the knowledge foundation for flying, and doing some simulator stuff while here at the SRU."

He hopes he will have a green light to fly again soon. Thankful for the help he received at the SRU, Tambornino shared the importance of taking your time and taking advantage of what the SRU has to offer. "You gotta take it one step at a time. I didn't know what to expect when I showed up, but you need to be your own advocate. Once you figure out what you want, the SRU will give you time to help you get it done."