CMSAF Gaylor recounts success in AF then, now

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon Johnston
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  As retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Bob Gaylor entered the Hardstand Fitness Center on RAF Mildenhall, England, March 6, 2013, the room immediately radiated a sense of respect for the fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force. Gaylor has been an integral part of Air Force culture and heritage since enlistment, and he has continued to do so long after his retirement in 1979.

Enlisting in 1948, only one year after the Air Force became its own service, Gaylor is a walking encyclopedia of Air Force knowledge. Using this knowledge for the betterment of the Airmen of today and tomorrow, he travels around the world giving speeches on topics such as leadership, management, motivation, professionalism and Airmanship.

Gaylor has seen the Air Force grow from its inception to the global force it is today. In all his years of service and beyond, however, he can still draw similarities between his time as an Airman, and the Airmen of today.

"I don't think it's much different than being an Airman in my day," Gaylor said. "It's exciting, and your eyes are wide open because every adventure is new. I think the demands today are greater, because now you have to learn all the technology that goes with the Air Force mission."

Even with the technological advances in today's Air Force, Gaylor believes Airmen are just as imaginative and innovative as they were without it.

"Early on, when technology first came on the scene, most people did not have knowledge of it," Gaylor said. "Now, I think with the familiarity (of) technology, a lot of our Airmen know ways to use it that we were not aware of. I think that it's an open field for innovation."

To break down how the Air Force of today measures up to the Air Force of the past, Gaylor uses a method he calls the "Four Ts." They consist of training, technology, tribe and trust. These key topics were the subject of his speech during the enlisted call.

"I'm going to talk about training, how its changed and improved along with technology, how we take better care of family, or tribe, and trust; and how over 65 years, the enlisted force has earned the trust of the leadership of the Air Force," Gaylor said. "Now, enlisted people are better able to do their job because they have that trust. It took years to earn (it), to show that (others) can trust us. I have a lot of passion and I tell audiences: don't you violate that trust - it took us a long time to get it."

With that trust, Airmen are enabled to become as successful as they want to be - however they choose. The ability to become successful, however, has to come from the Airmen themselves.

"The Airman has to learn early on it's not an eight to five job; it's a way of life," Gaylor said. "The Air Force is a commitment. You won't find any enterprise in the civilian world like that, where you take an oath and you agree to serve. An Airman of today just has to accept that, and most of them do. What I'm seeing is the majority are serving in a very impressive way."

With trust instilled by leadership and headed toward success, Airmen are more-or-less on the right path. The only thing left to do is find the motivation to keep going day after day, and keep the same level of enthusiasm and hunger for success.

"Focus on your purpose: why am I here?" Gaylor said. "Motivation comes from recognizing the importance of your job, and knowing that you're part of a team; that you let the team down when you don't carry your share of the load."

To achieve the ultimate level of success, or to live out a dream or a far-off goal, it's not about the end result as much as it is every step taken toward the end point.

"Keep the dream and the aspiration and the far-out goal, but realize that the quickest way to get there is by performing each day," Gaylor said. "It's relatively simple: you take it each day, each step at a time."

Forty-two years after his first visit to RAF Mildenhall, Gaylor returns with the same enthusiasm and drive which made him successful as an enlisted member. The lessons imparted by Gaylor to a younger generation of Airmen are tried and true, as evident by his triumphs in the Air Force.

While he is no longer technically serving, Gaylor continues to be a part of the service he helped grow into what it is now.