General retiring after more than 40 years of leading boldly

Published April 23, 2014
By Capt. Joshua Daniels
18th Air Force Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Nearly a half century ago, an Iowa farm boy entered the U.S. Air Force Academy, beginning a journey of service longer than the average age of senior master sergeants serving in the Air Force today.

Having been raised on a farm, Brig. Gen. Harold "Cec" Reed, was "brought up to adapt, innovate, and get things done." a natural fit for the Mobility Air Forces.

His leadership style echoed the way he had been brought up, and he pushed his Airmen to be bold and decisive, urging them to "think with your head, put a little of your heart in there and listen to your gut. If you do that usually you'll make the right decision."

That leadership style meant that he rarely heard his Airmen say, "I can't." As he noted, "can't really means 'I don't want to.' You can do anything if you are willing to pay the price."

Reed's 'take no prisoners' attitude was driven by his understanding that "my main job was to train and equip people to go to war and to come back alive." Driven by that realization, he was unafraid to buck the system where necessary to get his people ready for war.

A particularly memorable example of this attitude was displayed while training his C-130H guard unit to use night vision goggles in 1994. At that time, formal training had not been mandated for aircrews, but Reed knew it was something that could save lives and he pushed it. That foresight was justified soon after Operation Enduring Freedom began when his unit was selected to be one of the first deployed to Afghanistan, in part because of the night vision training.

Reed also became a vocal advocate for closer active-duty and Air Reserve Component integration, starting the first active-reserve association in Air Mobility Command at Cheyenne, Wyo. For Reed, the creation of these associations combined the best elements of all components to maximize the Mobility Air Force's agility and efficiency.

Along the way, Reed's career taught him to be unafraid to embrace change and take intelligent risks to make things better.

"We need our junior Airmen to continue to challenge the status quo and push the envelope," he said. "What is good enough today will likely not be in the future. We can't afford to be satisfied."

With the benefit of 44 years of Air Force service to add perspective, General Reed is optimistic about the future of the force. And though he acknowledges that the Air Force, like the nation, is facing a time of uncertainty, he encourages Airmen to look at issues with a long view.

"In a way, our challenges are kind of like the stock market," he said. "There are corrections but over time the market always go up. We will come out better than before ... thanks to our Airmen. They are the ones that will make us better."

As he looks forward to his retirement on April 29, Reed said that what he will miss most are "...the people first and foremost. No person makes it on their own. I am grateful for everyone who continues to keep our Air Force going in the right direction by pushing against the status quo. It truly has been a great ride."