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Retired general guest speaker at A/TA meeting

  • Published
  • By Joe B. Wiles
  • 92nd ARW Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The retired lieutenant general who was instrumental in putting the “tanker” in the Airlift Tanker Association was guest speaker May 25 at the Inland Northwest A/TA chapter luncheon at Club Fairchild. 

Lt. Gen. Charles Coolidge Jr., retired from active duty in 2004 and is currently working with European Aeronautic Defence and Space and Northrop Grumman on the KC-30 tanker proposal. 

The local A/TA chapter invited the general to discuss leadership and discovered along the way that he was there when the Airlift Association decided to embrace the tanker community. 

“Gen. ‘Dutch’ Huyser, the chairman emeritus of the Airlift Association, called my boss and asked him if I would come down and talk with the Airlift Association,” said General Coolidge. That was the summer of 1992, the meeting was in Atlanta, Ga., and General Coolidge’s mission was to get tankers into the association. 

“I was introduced to the board and it was a rather chilly reception. I made the pitch that I thought adding the tankers would double their active membership, but they had to change the name,” he said. 

General Coolidge was sure it wasn’t going well with the board when a break was called. “I suggested to General Huyser we take a different approach. He told me to just listen when the meeting reconvened. 

“Now remember, he was chairman emeritus – you know, chairman forever – and he said to the board, ‘if you don’t do this you can take my name off the rolls.’” 

After a brief silence, the board voted unanimously to accept tankers into the association and change the name to the Airlift Tanker Association. Active membership has gone from 1,800 in 1992 to almost 5,000 today. “The enthusiasm and participation is nothing short of remarkable,” said General Coolidge. 

When he retired in 2004, General Coolidge was vice commander of Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He had served as director of operations with the Air Education and Training Command and the U.S. Transportation Command. Three times he was wing commander, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., and Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He drew from those experiences to discuss leadership at the meeting last week. 

“Life is a leadership laboratory. You pick up leadership from all kinds of sources,” said General Coolidge. 

Retired Army Gen. Colin Powell, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State, had 13 rules of leadership he kept under the glass on his desk. “My favorite is ‘It isn’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning,’” said General Coolidge. “Basically, he was saying don’t jump to conclusions, don’t overreact. Sit back and think about it. 

“As a wing commander, one of the things I did was have somebody work for me that was always questioning everything I did. And who was better equipped to do that then the lawyer. I invited the wing judge advocate general to every meeting. 

“They are trained to doubt everything, to think about the worst possible consequences. If they can ask a question you can’t answer, it is clear you haven’t thought the idea through completely,” General Coolidge said. 

A man who helped the general through his formative years as a colonel and later brigadier and major general, was now retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman, former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. 

“He hired me twice as a wing commander, once at the base where he lived. I got to know him very well,” said the general. “He had four rules of leadership. Number one was ‘Don’t rule through fear.’ 

“You’ve seen people who use fear, ridicule and intimidation as their favorite method of leadership. How much respect do you have for someone like that? Zero.” 

General Coolidge believes a key to good leadership is mental toughness. “You have to set high standards, tell your people what those standards are and insure they understand them. Then get out from behind your desk, roam around and find out if those standards are being met. 

“If you find someone working for you who can’t do the job, give them something better to do, something they are capable of doing. Don’t make it public, just make it happen. 

"Always maintain a sense of dignity. Be enthusiastic. Don’t consume yourself with routine tasks. If you’re just working the in-basket, you’re a maintainer. I don’t mean the folks who keep our airplanes flying, but someone who maintains the status quo. Your job has become preserving your job.” 

General Coolidge concluded his presentation at the meeting with one of his own guiding principles. “You’ve got to have fun. You’re doing it all wrong if you’re not having fun. If you don’t get up excited about your job, you’ve got the wrong job. 

“You’ve got to change your mental attitude. The problem is not the system, or the place, or the organization or your boss. The problem is you.” 

The next meeting of the Inland Northwest A/TA chapter will be held June 22 in Club Fairchild. Retired Lt. Gen. John Sams Jr., former commander of 15th Air Force, is scheduled as guest speaker. 

For information contact Lt. Col. Sonny LeMasters, 247-4735, or Lt. Col. Darren Sprunk, 247-3363.