Go big and go home

Flying airplanes was meant to be for Air Force Capt. Elizabeth “Hail” Bergh, who grew up in Bellbrook, only a few miles from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and was always drawn to the Dayton Air Show.

“I was always interested in the military,” the Wright State University graduate said. “I thought airplanes were cool, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them.”

After high school, Bergh commuted to Wright State for four years and graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in Middle Eastern Islamic studies.

She credits her time in Wright State’s Air Force ROTC program for preparing her for her military career.

“We got to go to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and get a look at a lot of different things,” said Bergh.

Bergh, who has served in the Air Force for the past seven years, is stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and works as an instructor radar navigator on the B-52 Stratofortress.

Her job has allowed her to travel the world and visit places like Guam, Spain, England and Qatar. But the B-52’s assignment at the 2024 CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show as a ground display was one of her coolest.

“Always hearing about the Dayton Air Show as a kid, I never thought I would be here as a part of it,” said Bergh. “I just love talking to people about the B-52 because of the history.”

Bergh said it was the first air show she attended with the B-52. It’s a fitting end to her Air Force career because she is separating from the military soon. She recently earned her master’s degree in international relations and is applying for doctoral programs in international relations.

“To wrap everything up with this as the capstone, if you will, is probably the coolest thing I could ask for,” she said.