Fogleman, Ronald R.

“I have traveled around the world and talked to people in different countries. I can tell you that when that big T-tail aircraft lands, with the American flag on the tail, they not only represent America—they are America.” – Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF

Fogleman was the Air Force’s Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997. Before that, he served as the dual-hatted commander for both U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command. He served as a fighter pilot, training instructor, professor, Air Mobility Command, and the U.S. Transportation Command Commander, and the Air Force Chief of Staff before retiring after a 34 -year career in 1997.

During his Air Force tenure, Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman’s advancement of air mobility enabled the development of today’s unrivaled United States mobility forces. Among other accomplishments, such as flying 315 combat missions and creating the first worldwide Air Chiefs conference, he also was the driving force behind developing the current Air Force Core Values and developing what’s known as “The Little Blue Book.” “Integrity First,” “Service Before Self,” and “Excellence In All We Do” were the core values that he lived by, and what he expected of all Airmen. Fogleman joined the Air Force in 1963 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He then attended pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and stayed on for three more years as a flight training instructor and examiner. After a six-month stint in combat crew training in F-100s at Luke AFB, Arizona, he joined the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron as a fighter pilot stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam.

Then on Sept. 12, 1968, Fogleman was shot down by multiple hits from small arms fire. He ejected over hostile territory and hid on the ground from the enemy that was as close as 20 yards. He was picked up by a Cobra helicopter and rode on the outside until reaching the safety of a Special Forces camp. The next day he went out again on one of the 240 combat missions he flew while stationed in Vietnam.

He returned stateside in 1969 to attend Duke University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in military and political science in 1970. He taught at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, as an associate professor of history. He then was stationed in Thailand, where he served as an F-4 pilot, instructor pilot, and commander of the Laredo forward air controller flight.  In 1974, he was reassigned to the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Colorado as chief of rated assignments.

After completing Army War College in 1976, Fogleman, now a lieutenant colonel, was assigned to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base, West Germany, as assistant deputy commander for operations. During that stint, his unit became the first operational F-15 aircraft wing stationed outside the continental United States. In February 1978, he took on the duties of deputy commander for operations for the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Camp New Amsterdam, Holland.

Fogleman was promoted to brigadier general in October 1985, and five months later he went to the Pentagon as deputy director of programs and evaluation. Two years later he became director of that same organization, as well as chairman of the Air Staff Board at the Pentagon. As a lieutenant general in 1990, he held command positions at Osan Air Base, Korea. In 1992, he became the dual-hatted Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command where he was promoted to four-star status. Finally, he returned to the Pentagon in October 1994 as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

In that position, the general worked to revamp the evaluation programs for both officer and enlisted members, and as he said in an interview at the time of his retirement “worked to restore the soul of the Air Force.”  He focused on the issue of accountability and standards, thus identifying the core values and developing the United States Air Force Core Values Pamphlet, known to many as “The Little Blue Book.” (1) General Fogleman retired from the USAF on September 1, 1997.

Post-Air Force career

General Fogleman has had a seat on the Boards of Directors of Alliant Techsystems, AAR Corporation, Mesa Air Group, Inc., Tactical Air Support, Inc., World Air Holdings, Inc., and the Tauriga Sciences Inc.’s Business Advisory Board. He was on the board of advisors of the Code of Support Foundation, a nonprofit military services organization.

On November 11, 2009, General Fogleman was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors at Alliant Techsystems Inc., following the retirement of ATK Chairman and CEO Dan Murphy.

As a Boeing consultant, Fogleman said that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II will not be a combat-proven aircraft until it receives the Block 3F software in the early 2020s. (2)

(source: (1)  Fogleman’s contributions to the Air Force recognized by Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade, 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs / Published October 09, 2014 Https://www.scott.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/766694/foglemans-contributions-to-the-air-force-recognized/ (2)Wikipedia)