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Jake GarnLife and Legacy.

Jake Garn became a pilot as a teen, instructed by his father Edwin Jacob Garn, to become Utah’s first licensed pilot in 1917. During the Cold War as a pilot of multi-engine Naval amphibious surveillance planes flying off the coast of China in the early 1950s.

1940s

The Early Years

The father of Utah Aviation.

During his time at the University of Utah, he was recruited into the Navy ROTC program and received a full scholarship. He joined the Navy on active duty in 1956.

Garn completed flight training in Pensacola, FL and received his Navy aviator wings in Corpus Christi, TX in 1957. From there he was assigned to fly the Martin P5M Marlin seaplane in Oak Harbor, Washington. He was deployed to Iwakuni Japan which became a place he always loved. During his service in Japan, Garn flew low-altitude reconnaissance missions along the entire coast of China. Garn has said he got to know the coast of China better than he has ever known the coasts of the U.S. After his momentous space flight, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. His as a US Naval pilot would lay the groundwork for the pivotal decisions he would make during his years in public service.

The Early Years

The father of Utah Aviation.

Military

Serve your country, serve your community

Jake returned to Utah and served as a pilot in Utah Air National Guard multi-engine aircraft, including air-to-air refueling. (1963) Ultimately, he retired as a Brigadier General, with a total of over 12,000 hours of pilot time. (1979) He began Salt Lake City public service in 1967 when elected Salt Lake City Commissioner.

Politics

The mayor for our time.

In 1971 Jake was elected Mayor. During these years he flew many weekend missions to Vietnam for the Utah Air Guard.
In 1974 Garn was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served three terms, receiving 74 percent of the vote in both reelections and stepped aside, as he promised, and returned to Salt Lake City. (1992)