Eric Watson ’91 wasn’t envisioning himself as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator when he first came to Syracuse University. The Washington D.C., native originally intended on studying computer science, but as is the case with many college students, Watson realized his actual interests weren’t aligned with his studies. During his time as an undergraduate, he says he learned a lot more about himself and the value of community while on campus.
Eric Watson
“One of the biggest things I learned during my time at Syracuse is association with my fraternity brothers,” says Watson, who was a member of Omega Psi Phi. “They helped me understand how to be a part of a group, or a team, and how to work collectively with others.”
Watson had grown up as a traditional latchkey kid and being the only child of a single mother had made him fiercely independent. At an early age, Watson learned to cook for himself, care for himself, and take care of things around the house while his mother worked two, sometimes three jobs to pay the bills.
Watson says his mother’s determination still serves as a guiding beacon and that her work ethic continues to be an influence on him today.
“At the end of the day, I didn’t even graduate with a computer science degree. I was just into the philosophical aspect of computer science,” says Watson, who graduated with a degree in philosophy from the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in math. “The philosophy behind all of it, and how it works in the background was intriguing to me, but the actual X’s and O’s of the operations of making things happen was just not my cup of tea at the time.”
As a young man, another thing that intrigued him was the prospect of doing something exciting after graduation. Watson was in the Schine Student Center while a U.S. Marine Corps selection officer had a table display set up featuring a video of the various military aircraft used by the Marine Corps. The thought of flying seemed cool, and after speaking with the recruiter about how to become a pilot, Watson’s intrigue became focused on a goal.
The fact that the Marine Corps was the only branch that offered a guaranteed flight option was the most appealing aspect to Watson, who reported to Officer Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in April 1992. If Watson had joined another branch, there was a chance he would have been ed in another job, something Watson didn’t care for.
After two years of flight training in Pensacola, Florida, Watson became a certified AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot. The Cobra is a lightweight, nimble attack helicopter that provides close air support for Marine Corps ground forces. Cobra pilots are often forward deployed, meaning the Marines they support from the air are also the same Marines they eat meals with. When Watson spoke to ground units on the radio while he was in the air above them, it wasn’t a stranger’s voice speaking back to him, and Watson’s voice was often a welcome relief for his fellow Marines on the ground.
Watson bounced around between flying and serving in staff positions as a commissioned officer. A few promotions later, Watson wound up switching platforms to fly the UC-35 Cessna Citation, a small business jet the Marine Corps uses for passenger and cargo transport. Watson flew the Citation around the world, in and out of places like Qatar, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Jordan among others.
“Flying was great, I could still fly today but it would take the money away from my kids’ activities,” says Watson, who with his wife, Tammie, has raised four children; Erykah, Taneya, Eric, and Teyana, ranging in age from 15 to 27.
“I think, for me, it was just being exposed to the different cultures around the world and being able to go different places and see different things that I never would have experienced had I not been in the Marine Corps.”
Upon retirement, Watson transitioned within the Department of Defense from the U.S. Marine Corps to the Defense Health Agency. It was here he combined his interest in computers and technology with his background in managing operations as a Marine Corps officer as an information technology project manager.
“I think anything we do in our staff jobs as Marines is, in some way, shape, or form, associated with some type of project, it’s very project-oriented work and that was a natural progression for me and my career if I wasn’t going to fly,” says Watson, who earned his project management professional (PMP) certificate and became an Information Technology (IT) project manager after his military service.
Watson still works as a project manager in IT, but just like in his Marine Corps days, he’s focused on protecting people. Watson now works for the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, protecting consumers from predatory practices by banks, credit lenders and credit reporting companies alike. While not the same as flying attack helicopters and business jets, Watson says he leans on his military experience to find success in his current career.
“My military background definitely helps with the leadership and the prioritization of work. It helps in that it lets me maintain a level head in different situations and scenarios,” says Watson.
Living in Maryland, Watson now enjoys the opportunity to connect with other Syracuse University alumni in addition to his fraternity brothers and fellow veterans in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. Special events on campus bring him back from time to time, but technology helps him stay connected to his friends too.
“You lose contact with a few people over the years, but then there’s a mechanism to reach back out and get back in contact with things like Facebook and social media,” says Watson. “I had a blast while I was at Syracuse University, but it’s always been the people that I’ve had a blast with while I was there, and still have fun with today.”
The connection to campus has encouraged Watson to give back to the community that had a distinct impact on his life. To support the Our Time Has Come Scholarship Program, which provides critical financial assistance, leadership training, and alumni mentors for underrepresented students at Syracuse University, Watson established the Our Time Has Come Eric R. Watson Family Scholarship. Watson’s scholarship will contribute to those efforts with a preference towards military-connected students.
For more information on supporting the Our Time Has Come Eric R. Watson Family Scholarship, or to learn more about programs to support underrepresented students at Syracuse University, please visit the Office of Multicultural Advancement’s scholarship availability.
