5th CMSAF visits Spangdahlem Air Base

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lana Mills
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base got quite a show from a visitor who holds a place in Air Force history.

"I come on like gangbusters. When I walk in and see an audience, I'm on stage. I'm on. It's just me. I open the refrigerator to get a drink, the light comes on ... and I sing," retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Robert Gaylor said. He called himself a "ham," but it was his honesty and humbleness that appeared to capture the crowds as he spoke. 

Chief Gaylor, the 5th Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, joined the military in 1948 and over the past 60 years, he said he has seen the Air Force make a gradual incline of progress. He also said he feels it's his job to promote that positive growth. "I'm seeing it and I'm marveled," he said. "It starts from the top-down." 

He spoke to newly selected senior noncommissioned officers and offered them a few words of wisdom on leadership. "You know Aristotle, the famous Greek ... I think he was a Chief Master Sergeant," he said. "Aristotle said one who has never learned to obey cannot be a great leader." 

Spangdahlem is the 20th base Chief Gaylor has visited this year and he said he was just as impressed with the professionalism of its Airmen as the Airmen said they were with him. "I went to the communications unit. They had gathered the Airmen to facilitate my meeting them. You can see the physical fitness. They are physically attractive, good looking men and women," he said. "The shine in their eyes tells me that they are professional Airmen, and I just feel honored that I am able to go in and talk with them."