UCCS grad’s dreams take flight

Navy Lt. Joe Hontz chosen public affairs officer for the Blue Angels

By Cathy Beuten | CU system

For nearly 70 years, children, wide eyes to the skies, have watched in wonderment as any of 10 different aircrafts throughout the Blue Angels’ history maneuvered breathtaking feats, from the downward sweep of the Delta formation to the tight grouping, 360-degree-roll of the Diamond formation.

Many have dreamed of being part of the prestigious and awe-inspiring naval air show.

One of those children was CU Colorado Springs alumnus Lt. Joe Hontz (History, 2006), and now Hontz’s wish has come true as the naval lieutenant from Longmont, Colorado, has been chosen to serve the next two years as the Blue Angels’ public affairs officer (PAO).

“Everyone knows about the Blue Angels. I never was going to be a pilot, so I never thought about how I could potentially join the team,” he said. But a few years back, a coworker was a finalist to become the Blue Angels PAO. “I thought that would be a dream PAO job. So when the opportunity arose this time around, I got the blessing from the wife – I will be gone 300 days out of the year – and applied.”

Hontz currently serves as the U.S. Fifth Fleet Media Officer in Bahrain as a spokesperson on “all things related the U.S. Navy in the region,” he said. He and his family are packing up to head to Pensacola, Florida, where he will assume his role with the Blue Angels in November. Although he’ll be based at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, he’ll travel with the team to air shows across the country.

“Any time you can be on a team that is committed to the mission of inspiring a culture of excellence and service, you jump at the chance,” he said. “Plus I get to see these pilots do amazing things in the air every day. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”

Hontz’s assignment comes at a special time in the squadron’s history.The Blue Angels will turn 70 in 2016 and Hontz and the crew will be embracing the milestone to create an exciting year for enthusiasts on the ground and in the air.

“Being part of something that has been around for 70 years is a big deal and quite an honor,” he said.

​“I will brainstorm with my teammates to see what direction the team would like to go. One thing I would like to see is getting past team members involved and see what is different and how the team has grown.”

Hontz has been in the Navy for 12 years. He was a Hospital Corpsman from 1997-2002, got out and went to Pikes Peak Community College, then transferred to UCCS and graduated in 2006.

“UCCS offered me a great opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there,” Hontz said. The size of the classes and how well the university worked with veterans made the difference, he said. “It made the transition from active duty to civilian/student that much easier.”

Hontz had planned to use his degree to become an elementary school teacher, but his heart had something else in mind. “I began to really miss the military life. I missed wearing the uniform every day,” he said. “I joined back up in March of 2008, and it has been a wild ride ever since.”

His UCCS education still has been a significant benefit as he looks to his new role with the Blue Angels, and to the future overall.

“It allows me to view the significance of the 70th anniversary of the Blue Angels and what it means in the grand scheme of things,” he said.

“Every person that puts that flight suit on has a job to ensure that the legacy of the Blue Angels continues through them. We are privileged to wear this flight suit and all that it represents.”

After receiving his commission in the Navy, Hontz served as a surface warfare officer from 2008-12 and has been a public affairs officer since 2012. He said each job he has undertaken as a PAO has helped him grow and be more prepared for each new assignment.

“Being at a job in Fifth Fleet, you never know what will happen each day, so you always have to be on your game and be ready for anything,” he said. “I think that mentality will help me tremendously when it comes to working with the Blue Angels.”

Established in 1946, the Blue Angels’ mission is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach.

“We get to tell the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps stories and highlight success stories of the men and women who are on the team, to Americans throughout the country who may have had little to no interaction with the two services,” he said.

The squadron only accepts the crème de la crème and Hontz credits the support of his family with helping him make the grade.

“My wife and kids are the sole reason I am successful in life and in the military,” he said.

“They are the most flexible and supportive group I could have ever asked for and I am truly blessed to have them in my life.”

He is grateful that his family has had the opportunity to share in his adventures in the Navy, and that they, too, have benefited from the experiences.

“My wife, Heather, never thought she would be living in Bahrain for almost two years with our two children and having a third child while we were here,” he said. “It is these life experiences that make me stronger and make my wife and children that much stronger as well. It has opened their worlds up to other cultures they may not have ever had the chance to see if it were not for the Navy.”

A graduate of Lyons Middle/Senior High School in 1996 (“So if you are doing the math, that makes me 21,” he quips), Hontz still has family on the Front Range, including his stepmother, Jaci Hontz, and brother, Brian Hontz. In Colorado Springs, his mother, Kelly Chapel, worked for more 20 years as an elementary school teacher, and stepfather, Les Chapel, is a lieutenant in the Colorado Springs Fire Department. Hontz still is very much a Coloradan.

“We made it back to Colorado in January of this year. We were there for a little over two weeks. Needless to say it wasn’t long enough and it was difficult to leave,” Hontz said. “Colorado will always be home to me and my family. It is where I met my wife and where I proposed to her on top of the Manitou Incline.”

That’s why he’s excited to come back to Colorado next year with the team – which is scheduled to participate in the Rocky Mountain Air Show, Oct. 1-2, 2016 – and be a part of the flight demonstration in front of an estimated 50,000 Coloradans per show.

"Any time you can go back home and display what you do in front of your friends and family is always special,” he said. 

Hontz is understandably eager to show his home state the splendor and importance of what the Navy provides the United States and its citizens, more than 11 million spectators each year and hospitals and schools across the country.

“What makes the Navy such a great job is that you never know what you are going to do,” he said. “Your training can take you anywhere in the world and allow you to contribute in ways you never thought would be possible.”