Soaring to new heights: Kevin Pottinger displays ‘service before self’

Kevin Pottinger was already dreaming of flight when he was 9. 

Surrounded by model airplanes and inspired by his father and grandfather’s Air Force service, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. 

Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Pottinger stood wide-eyed on the tarmac at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, watching the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels flying in formation, his imagination soaring with each passing jet.

“I got to do this,” Pottinger said. “I love airplanes. I love the fighters.”

And he did. For nearly 40 years, he served in the Air Force. Now, Pottinger is helping veterans reclaim their independence through a nonprofit. His life is defined by service.

By 17, Pottinger had earned his pilot’s license, flying single-engine planes and gliders. His path crystalized when he entered Arizona State University’s Air Force ROTC program, securing his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

His first assignment at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, marked the beginning of a 39-year military career. There, he met his wife, Anne, a Texas Tech University student who would become his lifelong partner through decades of military challenges. 

He trained in the T-37 and T-38. He flew the F-4 Phantom in Germany during the Cold War before transitioning to the F-16 at Hill Air Force Base and later taught new pilots. He logged more than 4,000 flight hours.

Pottinger also flew the F-16 with the 36th Fighter Squadron at Oman Air Force Base. He later commanded the 301st Fighter Wing at Carswell Air Force Base, led the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Colorado, and served as director of Manpower and Reserve Affairs at the Pentagon, shaping Air Force policy and operations across multiple roles. 

His expertise led him to the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, which Pottinger described as the “Ph.D. of flying.” His son Patrick would later follow in his footsteps, becoming a top graduate in pilot training and flying the F-22. 

After two decades, Pottinger retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1999 and flew for American Airlines. 

Then 9/11 happened. 

The deadliest attack in U.S. history shook the nation and Pottinger’s sense of duty.

Watching the events unfold, Pottinger called the commander of his previous unit, offering to return. He re-qualified to fly the F-16, taking command of the 301st Fighter Wing.

Air Force veteran Jack Mills, then the wing’s command chief, remembered his first meeting with Pottinger at a change-of-command ceremony. Expecting the new commander to replace him, Mills offered his resignation. Pottinger refused.

“Why don’t you want to work for me?” Pottinger asked. 

From then on, he insisted the chief sit at his side in every meeting, a gesture Mills said changed the wing’s culture.

In 2005, Brig. Gen. Randy Cason met Pottinger at 10th Air Force headquarters. Pottinger hired him for an F-16 role and soon tapped him for an accident investigation in Iraq after an aircraft mishap. 

The two spent years together, forming a bond that extends to their families. Cason later taught Patrick to fly the F-22, while Patrick mentored Cason’s son. 

“We kind of all helped each other out,” Cason said.

Pottinger’s assignments grew more complex. He commanded at the wing and headquarters level; ran the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Colorado; served at the Pentagon; and traveled around the Middle East strengthening partner nations’ air forces while overseeing humanitarian projects that built schools and hospitals. 

A 2007 accident investigation in Iraq stayed with him. On a medical evacuation flight, Pottinger was surrounded by severely injured service members. The experience planted the seed for his post-military mission. 

Retiring as a major general, Pottinger turned to community service. He served as vice chairman of the Airpower Foundation and spent seven years on the Texas Military Preparedness Commission advising on state policy to support military installation and veterans.

In 2020, he founded the Freedom Mobility Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing customized vehicles for wounded veterans and first responders. Each truck is tailored to its recipient, enabling them to hunt, fish and return to activities many thought were gone forever.

“We’re not just giving them a vehicle,” Pottinger said. “We’re giving them their freedom back.” 

Nearly every donated dollar goes directly to veterans, Pottinger said. 

Mills recalled one veteran, paralyzed by a rare reaction to a flu shot, who walked again in an exoskeleton suit thanks to the foundation.

“Pottinger and Anne did that,” Mills said. “They’ll do that 100 more times for strangers.” 

For Cason, hosting foundation veterans at Cheyenne Mountain and the Pentagon, the joy was unmistakable. Those wounded radiated gratitude, not anger. Pottinger’s work fuels that, he said.

Whether leading airmen or restoring mobility to veterans, Pottinger’s career has been defined by service. 

This commitment to service spans four generations, from his grandfather to his son, creating a rare father-son bond that bridged decades of Air Force history. 

“He’s my inspiration,” Cason said. “His example as a retired veteran, making a difference, drives me to serve.”

Orlando Torres is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. 

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