Michael Hushion was raised in Marietta, Ohio. He joined the Air Force in 1975 for a quick, four year hitch. Thirty years later he retired achieving the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. He spent the majority of his career as a C-130 Loadmaster in which he amassed over 4,500 hours in nine different variants of the Hercules. His aerial achievements include participation in 66 sensitive missions over El Salvador in 1983, nearly 150 classified missions over East Germany in the 1980's, Operation Just Cause (the invasion of Panama) in 1989, Operations Desert Shield, Storm and Calm (1990, 1991 and 1992) and Operation Provide Promise (the aerial resupply of Bosnia in 1993). He is a graduate of the Community College of the Air Force and Columbia Southern University. He works for a major defense corporation and resides in Beavercreek, Ohio, with his wife Mary, son Kent, and the family dog, a slightly insecure Husky mix, Motive.