Major Roël “Booze” Boezen started flying gliders at the age of 14 and after failing to pass the selection to become an Airforce pilot twice, he passed the selection to become an airline pilot instead. From 1996 until 1998 he successfully completed flight training at the North American Institute of Aviation in South Carolina USA and gained flying hours as a certified flying instructor. Back in the Netherlands Major Boezen joined the KLM Flight Academy to convert his FAA licenses to European approved ATPL. Unfortunately he finished his training just before the 9/11 attacks in the USA meaning his career as an airline pilot came to a sudden stop.

In 2002 Major Boezen again signed up for the selection to join the RNLAF as a military pilot, this time he managed to get through. In June 2005 he was awarded his Airforce wings and was assigned to 298 Squadron as a Chinook pilot. Major Boezen deployed to Afghanistan three times and for one of the most daring missions in 2009 he was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross (Vliegerkruis) to become the first helicopter pilot in the history of the RNLAF to be awarded with the DFC.

From 2012 until 2018 Major Boezen became an exchange pilot with 18 and 27 Squadron at RAF Odiham (UK). After returning to the Netherlands he served in a variety of positions as a liaison officer and staff officer. Major Boezen is still flying Chinook helicopters and currently serves as the head of helicopter mission support, a subunit of the Dutch Helicopter Warfare Centre of the Defense Helicopter Command stationed at AFB Gilze-Rijen.