WASHINGTON 鈥� June 2, 2016.
鈥淚 hope that was the worst day of my life,鈥� said Joe Schwartz, a Front Royal doctor with the Navy, who was a flight surgeon with the famous Blue Angels. He was matched up with Capt. Jeff Kuss. Their duties brought them and their families close. In that line of work, it had to be that way.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking for a very special relationship,鈥� Schwartz said about the process of becoming a part of the Blue Angels team.
As a 鈥渇light doc,鈥� as he calls it, 鈥減rimary care is job number one, but 80 percent of the time of being a flight doc for the Blue Angels specifically is involved with their demonstration. You know the thing front and back. You sit down in a communications suite 鈥� and you鈥檙e on the radio with the maintenance officer actually, with the pilots. Your job is keeping those guys safe in the air and grading them while they鈥檙e flying so that you can take your video back to them during the debrief and give them pointers about how they can make the show look better for the crowd. So it鈥檚 aesthetics, but it鈥檚 safety first. So it鈥檚 safety, aesthetics, and oh, by the way, medicine, too.鈥�
With that understanding of his profession, few things in life could occur that would be a total, life-altering disaster for someone like Schwartz. Yet on June 2, 2016, in Smyrna, Tennessee, one total, life-altering disaster happened.
Kuss had just taken off in a practice run with the rest of his Blue Angels squad when something went very, very wrong. After climbing into the air, he attempted what was called a 鈥淪plit S鈥� maneuver. Instead, his plane accelerated toward the earth and crashed. Witnesses described seeing a fireball before thick, black smoke began rising from the crash site.
鈥淚mmediately, I鈥檓 saying, 鈥楧oes anybody see a chute?鈥� And of course the jets are going over right away, they鈥檙e looking for everything they can find for signs of life, of course,鈥� Schwartz said. 鈥淧robably the worst part of a flight surgeon鈥檚 job is after a mishap. Fifteen minutes later, I鈥檓 in the field identifying his body and looking through the torn up trees.鈥�
鈥淚t hit me hard because he鈥檚 a friend, first of all,鈥� said Schwartz. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of my job; in my job description, it鈥檚 keep these guys away from the ground. Looking back on it there was nothing I could have done in that time span. But still, it鈥檚 in your head, and it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 not going to go away. I鈥檒l have to live with it.鈥�
To most of America, Kuss was a Blue Angels pilot. But to those who knew him, he was the ultimate family guy, often more interested in going home to his wife Christina and their two young kids than anything else.
鈥淛eff was a family man,鈥� Christina Kuss said. 鈥淚t was always family first.鈥�
The extended Blue Angels family has rallied around Kuss to run with her this weekend in the Marine Corps Marathon.
鈥淢y husband had propositioned me to run pretty soon before he passed,鈥� said Kuss. 鈥淎nd I joked, and I said, 鈥楴o chance!鈥� But he wanted to do it, and I was like, in a sarcastic tone, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 a really cool goal.鈥欌��
鈥淭hen, after he passed away, it kind of came up in conversation: 鈥榃ould you ever want to run a marathon?鈥� And I said, ‘You know, it鈥檚 funny, because I said no before Jeff died. But I kind of want to do it for him now.’鈥�
She wasn鈥檛 alone.
鈥淪he鈥檚 always trying to find ways to honor him, as we all are, really,鈥� Schwartz said. 鈥淭he Blue Angel wives kind of got together and jumped on board. My wife and I had done a couple of marathons before, but I鈥檓 by no means a big marathon runner. It was Christina鈥檚 idea, the wives got involved and asked a few teammates as well. So all of us said, 鈥楢bsolutely, we鈥檙e not going to turn that down.鈥� So it鈥檚 tough, it鈥檚 good. It鈥檚 Jeff pushing us in our lives now.鈥�
This will be Christina鈥檚 first marathon.
She said the support she鈥檚 received from others in the Blue Angels family has been instrumental in her life as she picks up the pieces after Jeff鈥檚 passing. That support has also fueled her to grind through the training necessary to complete a 26.2 mile course, admitting after everything that鈥檚 been done to help her, she feels compelled not to let down everyone who has supported her through all of this, and who agreed to join her in this long run meant to honor Jeff.
鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 necessarily a saint in the world. But hopefully he is now. I think he deserves to be from what I know about him.鈥� 鈥� Joe Schwartz
There have been moments where Christina felt Jeff with her on these training runs too.
鈥淚 have this thing with the number six,鈥� Kuss said. 鈥淭hat was his number. I feel like it pops up sometimes and I feel like it鈥檚 him.鈥�
A few weeks ago she was running when it started pouring down rain.
鈥淚 hid under an awning for just a little while and I pulled out my phone and I was on mile 6.66, and I was just like, 鈥楬ey! Still doing it.鈥� So, yeah, I do, I feel motivation from Jeff. And I鈥檓 excited to run it for him. I鈥檓 also eager to run it for myself so that I know I can do really hard things 鈥� accomplish anything, really.鈥�
That鈥檚 almost exactly how Kuss is motivating everyone joining his wife in this race, too.
鈥淔inding that motivation is not hard, when you think about Jeff,鈥� said Schwartz. 鈥淗e was a quiet motivator. He wasn鈥檛 going to be out there barking at you, he wasn鈥檛 a loud Marine Corps DI (drill instructor) calling out cadences. He was the calm, conversational running guy that was probably going to make you run just a little harder than you wanted to.鈥�
鈥淗e was not an in-your-face motivator,鈥� agrees Christina Kuss. 鈥淗e led by example, and by being awesome himself.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not doing this thing in three hours or anything,鈥� Schwartz said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure Jeff would, because he had the highest V/O2 max (maximum volume of oxygen) of us all when we were tested at the Naval Academy.鈥�
Today, Christina Kuss is raising their two kids 鈥� Calvin who is five, and Sloane, who is two 鈥� at their home in Durango, Colorado, while trying to gear up for this race she feels compelled to finish in honor of her husband. None of it is easy, and that would be the case even if there was no race to run.
鈥淲hen I have wondered if I was going to do this,鈥� Kuss said, with a quiver in her voice and tears welling up into her eyes, before firming up.
鈥淚 committed to it and people have supported me with funding and things. But it was hard. It鈥檚 been hard. I wasn鈥檛 sure if I wanted to do it. And I wasn鈥檛 sure if it was important enough, because I want to start focusing on the kids and getting settled into life here. But I thought about Jeff, and how he never quit. And he worked so hard at everything that he did. And this started out for him. So, I knew I could do it. And I鈥檝e drawn a lot of strength from my husband鈥檚 character. And I鈥檓 excited to find out I can do it. And I know he鈥檒l be running it with me.鈥�
