A familiar face

October 14, 2006

Some people mistake Capt. Daniele Poli for a brigadier general.

Others say he's a dead-ringer for Dr. Evil of Austin Powers movie fame.

In reality, he's a C-130 pilot.

An Italian C-130 pilot.

The Italians designate the rank of captain with a star, the symbol Americans use for generals.

Don't call Poli general. He doesn't like it. It's OK to call him Dr. Evil, though.

A small picture of the movie character hangs on the duty board in the Triple-7 operations center indicating when Poli is flying.

I found him in squadron headquarters the other day with a talking movie poster of Dr. Evil. He straps the poster in the plane when he flies. The poster has night vision goggles and is listed on the flight manifest as additional crew.

It's all part of the Poli personality.

He speaks with an unmistakable Italian accent, of course. The more you get to know him, though, the less noticeable it is. He philosophizes about life, taking moments to think before throwing out the next thought.

Poli is as nice a person as you've ever met. Everybody, and yes I mean everybody, is a friend of his. He's quick to offer a smile or a wave. And he loves Little Rock Air Force Base.

It's hard to imagine that someone from a place like Pisa, Italy, wishes he could stay at Little Rock.

See, Poli is a foreign exchange pilot. He has been assigned to Little Rock Air Force base for almost three years. He'll head back to Italy next summer. And he'll take an Arkansas souvenir with him — a little Poli bambino.

Poli and his wife are expecting their first child. He said it's changed him already. He shops online for bassinets now, instead of computer gadgets.

And he likes it.

Thoughts of his wife bring a quick smile. He calls her strong, the one who holds down the fort when he's gone. And he's spent a lot of time over here in the desert.

He was here in January, the last time I popped through Balad.

He's back here again — for the third time.

Posted by editor at October 14, 2006 12:49 PM