Michael Collins: A legacy of service

By Charlie Souhrada, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Mike Collins learned a few things about helping others while growing up in Plainfield as the eldest of nine children. His experience served him well during four years in the Air Force and a post-military career in law enforcement and community service.     

“I learned to help out at an early age,” he says. “My mother, Marilyn, used to assign me grocery shopping duties and I’ve changed a lot of diapers in my day!” 

Born in Joliet and raised in Plainfield where he still lives with his wife, Jo Ann, Mike attended Plainfield High School where he ran track, wrestled, played football, and worked construction for an uncle’s business – Plainfield Welding and Excavating. 

Mike confesses he was “a little cocky” when he was younger, and military service seemed the best way to straighten up and fly right. In 1964, two months after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Air Force to gain some life experience and as a tribute to his family’s legacy of military service.  

“I come from a strong military background. My grandfather was in the Navy, my father, Lorne, served as a B-52 mechanic in World War II, another uncle also served in the Air Force, and my son, Joseph, served in the Navy,” he says. “I chose the Air Force because of my dad and my uncle.” And, not to be overlooked, two of Mike’s younger brothers, Tim and Terry, followed in his footsteps and served in the Air Force, each retiring after 23 and 22 years respectively. (In fact, Tim, who retired as a Major, will join Mike on the October Honor Flight.) 

Mike’s first stop was basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where he got a bit of an awakening. “I had never been in a dorm with all types of personalities before. You learn rather quickly what you can say, what you couldn’t say, and how to act. It gave me the polish I needed.” 

After completing basic, Mike’s aptitude test scores qualified him for crew chief training, and he received orders to report to Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, for technical training on the B-47 Stratojet, a long-range bomber. Afterward, he was sent to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to hone his skills on the B-47. Unfortunately, that aircraft was being phased out and Mike was reassigned to Lockbourne Air Force Base (now known as Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base), near Columbus, Ohio. Instead of servicing bombers, he then spent his entire military career working on the C-130 Hercules aircraft. 

“The C-130 was a good-sized aircraft designed to carry cargo or drop troops,” he says. “As assistant crew chief, it was my job to serve as the ‘gofer,’ to gather information, make sure the plane was ready to fly, and do whatever the crew chief needed. We were especially keen on our take-off times, and if something was wrong, we’d better have it fixed in time!”

Mike’s responsibilities on the C-130 took him throughout the world including France, England, and South America. Over time, in repeat European tours, he moved up in rank to crew chief and continued to deliver goods and personnel wherever necessary. 

“After the flight landed, I’d go up to the flight deck and get the logbook to see if anything was wrong,” he says. “I was in charge of keeping the aircraft clean, refueling, and getting it ready for the next mission.” 

The C-130 refueling process itself took several hours. “One time, in South America, I had to load the aircraft with fuel,” he remembers. “The C-130 had four fuel ports – two on each side. I went to one side and filled it until the aircraft tilted, then went to the other side until it tilted back. It took me five hours using something about the size of a garden hose!” 

In July 1968, Mike was honorably discharged after four years of active duty. He returned to Plainfield with his first wife and a child and looked for work. After a brief search, he joined the Plainfield Police Department and found the people skills he learned in the Air Force came in handy. 

He left the department in November 1969 and joined the Illinois State Police, serving initially in the highway patrol. “I looked at as trying to keep people safe on the highways,” he says. I did that by driving that ‘double bubble’ car around for 10 years and felt a sense of gratification in that role.” In January 1981, he was promoted to detective and served in a variety of investigations including outlaw motorcycle gangs, on the I-SEARCH program, and gaming enforcement. In 1997, Mike retired from the state police, but his community service continued.

In 1989, Mike was elected to serve as a Trustee to the Plainfield Fire Protection District, where he served for eight years. He was then elected to serve as a Plainfield Village Trustee, where he served two terms, from 1997 – 2007. He was subsequently elected Mayor of the Village of Plainfield, where he served three terms spanning 12 years before retiring in 2021. 

In 1995 Mike and Jo Ann met while playing softball, and the couple married two years later. They continue to live in Plainfield where all nine Collins siblings, including Mike’s three children from his first marriage – Christine, Jennifer, and Joseph – still get together for family reunions. 

Upon reflection, Mike takes pride in his military experience. “It’s kind of funny,” he says. “You’re putting a kid in charge of an aircraft. For example, I was taught how to run engines when I was 19 years old. One day I had a major who said, ‘let’s taxi,’ so I taxied the aircraft and came back and parked it. I’m a 19-year-old kid! It was a unique experience.” 

Thinking of his experiences and the upcoming Honor Flight humbles Mike. “I’m privileged to get this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it!”  

Thank you for your service to your country and community, Mike!