Contributed Photo Chad Hennings won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
— Chad Hennings is not your ordinary flyboy.
Well before his days as a three-time NFL champion defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys and a military career as an Air Force pilot in Iraq, Hennings, who will speak Wednesday at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center, was well on his way to success.
After winning the Iowa state heavyweight wrestling championship as a senior in high school, a man too large for some doorways, yet alone a fighter cockpit, chose to attend the Air Force Academy.
On the field, he led the nation his senior year in 1987 with 24 sacks.
After graduating from the academy, the hulking Hennings was drafted by the Cowboys, but postponed his entry into the NFL to fly for the Air Force.
Hennings, now a motivational speaker and author, looks back on a time when he was told his 6-foot, 6-inch, 265-pound frame was too large to fly some aircraft.
“I had to receive waivers to fly,” he said. “One of the flight surgeons had to check the ejection specs of the training aircraft we were flying because I may have hit the tail while ejecting.”
Once out of flight school, Hennings barreled through 45 missions in northern Iraq flying the A-10 Thunderbolt, also known as the “Warthog.”
Hennings said he misses his time in the military with a few exceptions.
“I miss being around that environment and the sense of purpose and spirit de corps,” he said. “I don’t miss the lengthy deployments and being away from my family.”
Hennings described the lives of American soldiers in the conflicts in the Middle East as emotionally demanding.
“It puts an extra burden on your spouse when you have children,” he said. “You’re battling two fronts. Multiple deployments is taking its toll on our servicemen and women.”
Hennings recently had a book published titled “Rules of Engagement: Finding Faith and Purpose in a Disconnected World.” In it, he outlines his vision for a more responsible male role in society.
“I wanted to engage men and share lessons learned on what it means to be a man,” he said. “It’s about service to others … having a strategic purpose in your life … breaking some myths as well as helping men to really find fulfillment.”
If you go
What: Three-time Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion and former Air Force pilot Chad Hennings
When: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday
Where: Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center, 402 Harbor Drive
Cost: Individual tickets/$50; tables of 10/$500; limited number of tickets available at the door/$55; proceeds benefit Volunteer Center of the Coastal Bend
Info: To buy tickets online, visit www.volunteercentercorpus.org/chadhenningslunch.html or call Gilna Nance at 361-887-8282 ext. 11.
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