When I was in the Air Force, most of the officers didn't amount to very much in my opinion. So, what makes a good officer? Go back and take a closer look at Colonel Dye and then come back to this page. back

Did you notice that he isn't the tallest guy there? Did you also notice that he's slowly getting bald and that he's a bit overweight? He wears glasses, so his eyesight isn't the best, and probably only Mrs. Dye would describe him as "handsome." That said, you can see that physical appearance doesn't make a good officer. Sorry, all you "John Wayne" types; you'll have to do more than that.

Colonel Dye held every rank from Airman Basic to full Colonel, except for that of staff sergeant. He told us about it several times, and he seemed proud of that fact. But there are other officers who also worked their way up from the ranks. Does that mean that they were also good officers? Not at all. However, I do think that that experience may have been the beginning of the reason why Colonel Dye was a good officer. He knew what it was like to take orders as well as to give orders. Most of the officers that I had to serve under were too wrapped up in themselves to see the people under them. Not so with Colonel Dye. If you were under his command and you did your job, you could count on him to back you up 100%. If you screwed up, he was hell on wheels. Maybe a couple of examples will illustrate what I'm talking about.

Dover AFB was a freight terminal, not a passenger terminal. Military personnel might possibly get a flight out on a cargo plane, but only if there was room available and the aircraft wasn't carrying any dangerous cargo. One time a certain Captain didn't quite understand that fact. He had been bumped off of several flights, and he came storming into the Traffic Control office and proceeded to give the enlisted personnel "hell" and tell us what a poor job we were doing. He ranted on and on for a good two or three minutes. Eventually he stopped yelling and demanded action. Now, you need to understand that our office was shaped like the capital letter "L." and the good Captain didn't know Colonel Dye was standing around the corner, just out of sight. At that point, Colonel Dye walked around the corner and proceeded to give the Captain all of the "action" he wanted. And, he did it right in front of the enlisted personnel and anyone else within earshot. He literally yelled at the man. In no uncertain terms he told him that if he wanted air transportation he should get his ass off of Dover AFB and down to Charleston. His parting words were a direct order to the Captain - and I quote: "Now you get the hell out of here!" The Captain saluted meekly, stammered, "Yes, Sir." and then ran out the door. Later that day, I overheard Colonel Dye tell one of his officers, "I should have court-martialed the son-of-a-bitch."

Another time, several airmen complained about the quality of the food at the base dining hall. Guess who went to eat at the facility that very same day? Colonel Dye. I know, because I was just leaving the barracks to go eat when he and the first sergeant walked passed. It's a rare occasion when a full colonel walks into an enlisted men's dining hall and pays for a meal. The mess sergeant and the 1st Lieutenant, who was in charge of the facility, showed up pronto, falling all over themselves trying to see to Colonel Dye's every need. It didn't phase him one bit. He told them exactly why he was there, then he took a tray and walked down the line like everyone else. The quality of the food improved right away after his visit, but Colonel Dye continued to periodically sample the food on an unannounced basis.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: Colonel Dye cared about his men as human beings. We meant more to him than just people to be ordered about. He respected us because we worked hard and were conscientious in our actions. He felt it was his obligation to support us. And, he also understood that most of the airmen wouldn't make a career of the Air Force. When our tours of duty were up, we would return to civilian life. He wanted us to appreciate learning, to be responsible for our actions, and to take pride in our work, because we would need those values every day of our lives, not just in the Air Force. He wanted us to be ready for the future.