Lt. Col. Joe Mirarchi was looking forward to the weekend visit from his son, Chris, who was returning home from college. But he wasn’t prepared for what his son was coming to tell him.

“When Chris came to me,” said Joe Mirarchi, 54. “And said ‘Hey Dad, I think I wanna be a fighter pilot like you were,’ it kind of caught me off guard, but I was excited.”

Better yet was being able to commission his son into the Air Force in November 2017, But the biggest blessing, he said, was being able to pilot a T-38 during his fini flight out of Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, with 2nd Lt. Chris Mirarchi on his wing, flying his first flight with the Air Force.

Poetic. Romantic. Humbling. A blessing — all words Joe and Chris used to describe their sortie last week.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to conclude my years of service,” said Mirarchi, a former F-15 pilot who ended his almost 30-year career as the training manager for all T-38 pilots with the Air Force Reserve’s 39th Flying Training Squadron.

Joe Mirarchi never tried to convince his son to join the Air Force, and was unaware that his son wanted to follow in his footsteps. Instead, it was the example that he set that convinced Chris to join the Air Force after graduation.

“About three years into school I just made the decision,” said Chris Mirarchi, 24, who graduated from the University of Texas-Austin in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics. “With my Dad as an example and a great role model and father figure it sort of just clicked, a no brainer-type thing.”

Over the past 30 years, the Air Force Reserve became Joe Mirarchi’s second family. After working all week at his full time job, piloting for Delta Airlines, he spent many weekends with his fellow “Class B Bachelor” reservists, who became his lifelong friends. These relationships made an impression on his son growing up.

“The people that Dad flew with and the folks he served with were such high quality,” Chris said. “Going through college and reflecting on the person I want to be and the people I want to surround myself with … that was a huge inspiration.”

Joe Mirarchi’s first assignment was flying the F-15C with the 58th Fighter Squadron at Elgin Air Force Base, Fla. As his first assignment, Chris Mirarchi will be flying F-15s for the Florida Air National Guard in Jacksonville.

With some extra free time, Joe Mirarchi is looking forward to relaxing with his friends, family, and, most importantly, his wife, Teresa. His fini flight came on the 32nd anniversary of their first date.

“The military … will always be a part of me,” said Joe Mirarchi. “To see Chris take the torch, it’s easier for me to sit back and retire. The future is safe, I can rest easy.”

Chris Mirarchi is prepared to take that torch and is excited for the challenges ahead.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of Dad’s story,” Chris said, “to be a part of the Air Force story, and to carry on what he as an individual, his team, and Dad’s brand of leadership brought to the Air Force.”

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