LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Editor’s note: As Gina and I wrap up our time as the 47th Student Squadron command team at Laughlin, I want to start this article with a heartfelt thank you. We extend our gratitude to everyone, on base and off, past and present that have crossed our paths and carried us through the challenges of command. We have been blessed to lead this amazing squadron, and the “STUS” has a bright future in the hands of a ready, motivated and capable command team of Lt. Col. Chris Ogrosky and his wonderful bride, Nicole. To be allowed to write this article is an honor. I hope that a word or two of it will stick with you, as words from my leaders and mentors have stuck with me, helping shape my expectations and subsequent leadership foundation.
This month, I mark 20 years of service to our beautiful nation of paved roads, unbelievable grocery stores, large movie theaters, awe-inspiring state and national parks, and delicious restaurants and food trucks.
In those 20 years, one thing has remained the same. Learn to expect, and be prepared to respond to, the unexpected. A 20-year career, as rewarding as it is, will be filled with many unexpected, demanding, and ambitious turns, yet each turn put me in a position of gratitude, purpose and understanding of the grand strategy of our U.S. Air Force and our allies. I am thankful for the lessons I’ve learned as we strive to keep our squadrons, wings, our Air Force, our nation, and the world in a state of continuous improvement. A lot of those lessons include carrying each other through adversity, placing simple acts of kindness in the practice of our lives, and acknowledging each unexpected career move with a positive attitude while having the aptitude to be the best we can be, or excellent in all we do.
In my career, there have been events and circumstances I will never forget. One of them was in the fall of 2008, ten years into an Air Force career that had already taken several unexpected detours. As an instructor pilot at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, the 12th Operations Group commander said, “Ogre, you’re going to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as the chief air planner for a U.S. Central Command integrated planning team, planning the bed-down of an increase of Air Force forces in South Afghanistan.” From this point forward, through the trials and turns, I began to understand my role of service to our Air Force as it pertains to national and global security. I found myself working for an Army general officer, reporting to an Air Force general, and working with communications, logistics, operations, ammunitions and engineering professionals from all services of all allied countries. Together, we were tackling the challenge of bringing in a multitude of forces to fight a rapidly escalating conflict.
One morning at 2:00 a.m., I was a passenger in the back of a U.S. Marine C-130 departing my home station for a pre-determined Forward Operating Base where I was charged with reporting the current FOB capacity for aircraft and personnel, along with recommending a course of action to build a runway, ramp space and living quarters. As I sat in the plywood offices of the Royal Air Force around 6:30 a.m. overlooking the vast terrain, I was given something that, at the time, was like getting a shiny new bicycle on Christmas morning: “Instant Coffee!” My British counterparts understood that at a time like this, nothing could be more encouraging than giving a chap a hot cup of black coffee. I was able to persevere through the day, the rest of the trip, and my overall mission during the coming months at several other FOBs. It’s the little things that matter, and in this case, it was hot black coffee.
Fast forward to 2013. After finishing Air Command and Staff College, I was working on the LeMay Center for Air Force Doctrine Development Staff at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. I was told, “Ogre, you’re going to Kabul, Afghanistan, as the deputy chief of strategic planning for the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, helping to plan Operation Resolute Support for the draw-down of Air Force Forces in Afghanistan.” I had come full circle. My experience five years earlier helped me understand the complexity, geography, focus and structure of Air Force forces in Afghanistan. I didn’t doubt my purpose for being there, my charge as an Air Force officer or the definition of mission accomplishment. The expectations were clear. However, the days were long. The majority of tasks were urgent, preparing deliverables and recommendations to the 9th AETF-A commander and the commander of the International Security Assistance Force. My strategy team prepared briefings, researched and reported courses of action, and developed plans for the immediate reduction of Air Force forces. Travel was required by helicopter, airplane and automobile, and coordination with every service from every allied nation was paramount. Every morning at breakfast, every afternoon, and every night, the same instrument of perseverance brightened my outlook and gave me hope for success: hot, black instant coffee. It’s the little things that matter.
Instant coffee can be a metaphor for anything in our lives, our squadrons or our circle of influence. Along with calls home to my wife and daughter, care packages from family and friends, and positive encouragement from Air Force peers, instant coffee from my British counterparts meant something to me. Giving a ride to an Airman walking across base, taking someone’s office garbage out, helping a peer through a fitness test, or even giving a smile, handshake, or verbal encouragement are just a few little things we can do to help each other as we work together to accomplish our mission. Let’s serve each other as we serve our nation. Let’s cultivate relationships to increase mutual support. And let’s encourage each other in moments of personal and professional adversity. I promise it will make our Air Force more effective and more lethal as we keep squadrons focused on always striving to be better.
Since October 7, 2016, when Gina and I were given the privilege of command, the motto for the 47th Student Squadron has been, “Fueled by Black Coffee and Jalapeno Popcorn.” Now you know why. May God bless you and may God bless America.