Legends and myths contribute to cultural understanding and help members of a community identify cultural norms or ideals. They also serve to inspire and provide a method of conceptualizing ethereal concepts with no physical attributes, such as courage, sacrifice, or inspiration in leadership. The Air Force has a culture, and accompanying legends and myths. A few of the widely-known legends include Robin Olds, John Boyd, John Warden, and Billy Mitchell. Air Force myths, which may contain significant elements of truth, include concepts such as John Warden’s “five rings” theory that tell of rapid capitulation forced by a decisive application of airpower against a narrow set of the right targets, or the idea that “the bomber will always get through.” These legends show members of the Air Force community what sort of behavior is worthy of emulation, and have spawned generations of Airmen who continue to advance classic theories of airpower and maximize its application in contemporary conflict, and many who grow impressive, if questionably acceptable, mustaches each March.
Subcultures also exist within the various communities within the Air Force, and many of these have legends and myths of their own. This is clearly visible within the larger fighter community and, to an even greater extent, within the communities of individual platforms. For example, ask any U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot which American scored the first kill using an F-16 and they will tell you immediately that it was Gary “Nordo” North – a fact that was repeated to and by them during their formative years within the community at Roll Calls or on routing TDYs. There are also fighter myths such as the “discovery” of Jeremiah Weed by the fighter legend Nort Nelson. This myth is widely known, as Jeremiah Weed was a staple in fighter squadron bars, and the legend himself is widely known (and perpetuates his version of the myth) among F-16 pilots who have ready access to Nort while stationed at Shaw AFB. Nort’s legend exemplifies what it is to be a fighter pilot: daring in your aircraft, irredeemably confident in your decisions and abilities therein, braggadocious about your most impressive exploits, and honorable toward your fellow warriors – being a hard drinker is also, perhaps, part of Nort’s legend that some in the fighter community might emulate. The F-15 pilot Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez is another fighter legend, widely known for holding the American record for the most kills scored in an F-15. Accounts of Rico’s kills emphasize similar traits, including pushing his aircraft to its limits and remaining cool and confident under pressure.
The C2ABM community does not have a subculture as clearly defined as some other communities, including those of the fighter communities, and does not have any widely accepted set of traits that define the quintessential battle manager. Perhaps relatedly, there is a relative lack of legends or myths that are known across the community. It is unclear whether this dearth of legends and myths is simply an indicator of this less-defined culture or a cause of it. Without evidence, I posit that it is both.
While it may be tempting to dismiss the idea of legendary C2ABM exploits generally, due to the nature of the work, it seems instead that remarkable C2ABM accomplishments are simply forgotten or are considered footnotes of history. For example, it is somewhat well known that the EC-121 serial number 53-555, or “Triple Nickel,” was involved in the first-ever AEW&C-assisted fighter intercept to result in a kill. While the tail of the EC-121 and the identities of the F-4 crew that achieved the kill, William Kirk and Theodore Bongartz, are well documented, the name of the controller involved is generally lost to history. The same goes for the E-3 AWACS controller that aided “Rico” Rodriguez in achieving multiple kills during Desert Storm. Rico and his aircraft have been immortalized by the Smithsonian, while the controller’s name is unknown even to those within the C2ABM community.
These names were surely well-known at one point, but this knowledge has been lost. Perhaps this is because the C2ABM community lacks a strong culture upon which to foist legends and remember their examples, and individuals within the community do not value honoring legends of the past. Even where efforts are taken to strengthen unit cultures, there is a limited connection to history, and few opportunities exist for current C2ABM practitioners to mingle with those who came before. Opportunities for this sort of connection once existed at places like the Tinker Officers Club, but club culture has changed, and the Tinker Club is no longer frequented by either retired or current battle managers.
There are a few individuals who may be considered legendary, and whose examples might be woven into a larger C2ABM culture. These include individuals such as General Lori “Law” Robinson, the first woman to become a combatant commander and the first air battle manager to reach four stars; Dex Rogers, who shaped the development of a multitude of C2ABM units and platforms to include the E-8 JSTARS and Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training and; Rodger Troth, who paved the path for the establishment of a separate U.S. Air Force Weapons School squadron for C2ABM professionals. Each of these individuals has had an outsized, even legendary, impact on the C2ABM community, and their names are generally familiar, though few within the community could point to specific C2ABM-related exploits associated with each.
C2ABM culture may be strengthened through the cultivation of C2ABM legends. To recall past legends, C2ABM units may work with community organizations to host alumni events that bring together current and former community members to share stories. While recreating the base club culture of decades past is likely impossible, holding culture-building events in places like Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts and inviting locally available alumni, as the 963 AACS used to do, could partially bridge the gap between the past and the future to help establish an enduring culture with enduring legends and myths.
Additionally, contemporary legends likely already exist within the community, though the C2ABM community does not celebrate them. C2ABM professionals are frequently accomplishing incredible feats, including salvaging airborne fuel plans to enable missions to execute or providing control to rescue mission packages to recover isolated warfighters. C2ABM legends may be born out of this sort of activity if the community celebrates them by telling positive stories during Roll Calls, recognizing and bragging about others’ small wins, and having each new generation of C2ABM professionals recite and recall specific individuals and their accomplishments as important history during squadron events.
By improving access to legends of the past and creating new legends for the future, a more cohesive and enduring culture may emerge. These legends and any emerging myths may further help define a set of norms and ideals associated with the C2ABM community and may eventually lead to a more distinct culture that rivals those of others within the U.S. military.
Lt Col Douglas “Opie” Foulk, USAF, is a Senior Air Battle Manager, currently on staff as a Legislative Affairs Officer at the United Stated Indo-Pacific Command. He previously served in various positions across multiple E-3G AWACS squadrons.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. government.
Photo by Alina Chernii on Pexels
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