Kadena command chief one of 15 'Eagles' at ACSC

  • Published
  • By Phil Berube
  • Air University Office of Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Chief Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, command chief for the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan, is one of 15 "Eagles" who are sharing their military experiences and stories to several hundred Air Command and Staff College students during the school's annual Gathering of Eagles week June 4-7.

The GoE is ACSC's capstone graduation event.

During GoE, Colon-Lopez was interviewed on stage by an ACSC student. The chief gave background on the mission described in his bio at www.goefoundation.com, and said the reason the mission was a success was because of the "trust" between he and the SEALs, knowing each man would do his job. Trust was the major theme of his presentation.

The chief talked about some of his mentors, and offered an enlisted perspective on leadership to the future commanders.

"You have to trust your people ... but you have to get to know them first," he said. "Tell the people who work below you to get to know the people below them. (You) have to get your hands dirty ... they (enlisted) don't care for anyone who leads from behind a desk. Assume some risks. Give people a chance to learn from their mistakes."

He closed with a word of advice to the class.

"Reach back to issues of the past to see how they are the same to the issues now," Colon-Lopez said. "Learn from the past and move forward."

Gathering of Eagles traces its origin back to 1980, when retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets was invited to visit ACSC to share some of his experiences with the students. This visit became the genesis for the Gathering of Eagles program.

The first official Gathering of Eagles (then known as "Great Moments in Aviation History") was hosted by comedic legend Bob Hope in 1982. A small faculty and student group was chartered to develop an aviation heritage program encouraging the study of aviation history and the contributions of aviation pioneers. Fifteen distinguished aviators were invited to share their unique personal experiences through a series of teaching interviews and social events with members of the class.

The Eagles represent a cross section of the iconic figures from each military service. Their stories enhance the joint professional military education environment at ACSC, whose graduates will operate in joint environments in today's military operations.

This year's Eagles are:

· Lt. Col. Robert Berg, Air Force Reserve, was the lead critical care nurse on the rescue mission of John Solecki, the only American hostage rescued alive from Pakistan since 2000.
· Ret. Lt. Col. Richard Cole, Air Force, was Jimmy Doolittle's copilot on the first bomber to launch from the USS Hornet on the famous Tokyo Raid in April 1942.
· Chief Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, Air Force, is a pararescueman with more than 23 years of service, supporting Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom. His decorations include two Bronze Stars with Valor and is the first Airmen to receive the Air Force Combat Action Medal.
· Ret. Col. George "Bud" Day, Air Force, is the nation's most decorated warrior since Gen. Douglas MacArthur. In a military career spanning 34 years and three wars, Day received 70 decorations, of which more than 50 are for combat, including the Medal of Honor.
· Ret. Master Sgt. Scott Fales, Air Force, was the lead pararescueman on Blackhawk "Super Six-Eight" during the 1993 Mogadishu battle.
· Ret. Rear Adm. James Flatley III, Navy, entered aviation history in October 1963 as a Navy test pilot. As the Flight Test Carrier Suitability Project pilot, he piloted the largest aircraft, a C-130, ever to land upon an aircraft carrier.
· Ret. Gen. Ronald Fogleman, Air Force, retired as the 15th Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In September 1968, his F-100 took numerous hits from ground fire. He ejected, evaded capture and in a dramatic rescue, clung to the gun bay door of an Army Cobra helicopter gunship and was carried 20 miles to safety.
· First Lt. Robert Hoover, U.S. Army Air Force, flew 59 combat missions over Europe before being shot down and captured as a POW during WWII. He escaped by stealing a German airplane. After WWII, he served as a test pilot and air show performer, accumulating more than 30,000 flight hours in more than 300 aircraft.
· Pearl Judd, Women Airforce Service Pilot, was one of the WASP during World War II. Of the 25,000 women who applied to the service, she was one of only 1,074 who successfully completed the training program.
· Ret. Col. Charles McGee, Air Force, is one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. His flying service started in WWII and continued into Korea and Vietnam, earning the highest three-war total for fighter missions of any Air Force aviator.
· Ret. Lt. Col. Francis Murray, Air Force, was one of only six pilots to fly the A-12 for the CIA's legendary Oxcart program. From May 1967 to June 1968, he flew four A-12 missions at more than 80,000 feet and in excess of Mach 3 over Southeast Asia, attempting to locate the USS Pueblo seized in the North Korean port of Wonson Harbor.
· Ret. Maj. Gen. Donald Strait, Air Force, flew the P-51 and P-47 fighter aircraft during WWII, becoming a flying ace with 13.5 kills.
· Col. Raymond Strasburger, Air Force, led a two-ship of A-10 Thunderbolts during the battle for Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He and his wingman destroyed major elements of an enemy armored force assaulting Task Force 2-69 Armor at Muthanna Bridge, saving American lives and allowing them to continue maneuvers to encircle Baghdad.
· Ret. Col. Dennis Traynor, Air Force, answered President Ford's call when he lead a crew of 24 in the evacuation of orphans from South Vietnam during Operation Babylift's first official mission. During the mission, his C-5 aircraft experienced a catastrophic malfunction, and his actions saved 176 lives during a crash landing in a rice paddy.
· Staff Sgt. Wesley Wells, U.S. Army Air Force, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, and served as a B-17 Flying Fortress ball turret gunner for the 379th Bomb Group, the most decorated 8th Air Force bomb group in WWII. Wells eventually became a POW and was transferred to six different POW camps before his release in 1945.
· Ret. Maj. Gen. Stanton Musser (deceased October 2012), Air Force, had a 31-year Air Force career. He also served as a mentor to future leaders while vice commandant at the Air Force Academy and commandant of cadets at Virginia Tech. He is survived by his wife Dawn, who was present at the GoE.

For online resource and complete Eagle bios, visit www.goefoundation.com.