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Once wingmen, always wingmen: Bomber, tanker colonels grow up in AF family, lead in combat

  • Published
  • By Capt. Teresa Sullivan
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Two lieutenant colonels with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing bring the words "once a wingman, always a wingman" to life showing how Air Force ties transcend barriers of time and distance. 

Proving the Air Force is getting smaller, two former classmates of Central Washington State's AFROTC detachment 895 reunited after 17 years, each commanding Airmen in combat in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Kelly Goggin, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron commander and Lt. Col. Michael Eliason, 9th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron commander took time to describe their time as wingmen from cadets to colonels. 

Although their motivations for entering the Air Force were different, they now find their motivations the same. He joined the Air Force because "Top Gun" was cool and was the editor of the college newspaper. She wanted to fly, liked to march and was a member of the Arnold Air Society. 

Within minutes of talking with them it was apparent the two small town kids came from similar backgrounds and enjoyed learning the profession of arms in the college town of Ellensburg, Wash. The good natured ribbing had not skipped a beat over the years. 

"She took ROTC very seriously," joked Colonel Eliason, native of Kittitas, Wash. "I remember out at one of our leadership labs she jacked me up because of my uniform wear and I definitely thought she was uptight. She was our marching monitor - and she was really mean." 

Colonel Goggin retorted that she could see, then Cadet Eliason, "coming from a mile a way," - not in a good way. 

When asking what sort of nicknames they used to go by, Colonel Eliason looked to Colonel Goggin and she answered, "he called me 'Maam.'" 

Colonel Goggin, the former cadet lieutenant colonel, was in the class of 1988. This meant she outranked Colonel Eliason, former cadet second lieutenant, by one year and had her work cut out for her in molding this junior cadet. 

Colonel Eliason admits his time on the baseball and football field may have taken precedence over his time in the classroom, but not Colonel Goggin. 

Would they describe themselves as leaders back then? He said "not close." She said "I was trying pretty hard." When asked what their cadet jobs were, she said "mission support group commander." He said, "they didn't let me have one." 

Jokes aside, Colonel Goggin described what she remembered about their detachment commander, Col. Richard Thompson, and how he influenced both their lives. 

"What I remember about him, was that he thought outside of the box," said Colonel Goggin, a native of Moses Lake, Wash. "One time he brought in three chaplains of different denominations to talk to our detachment about biblical references on warfare and the use of lethal force ... so we could come to grips with what we'd be doing in the future. That impressed me and it was typical of how he thought outside the box." 

Neither would have thought those times would affect them 17 years later. The Air Force took them in separate directions upon graduation from college. She went to KC-135 navigator training and he went to pilot training to fly B-1s. 

As part of the transient nature of the flying squadrons moving in and out of the area of responsibility, if someone were to run into an old wingman and buddy, it would likely be here at the 379th - known for being the hub of the AOR. It didn't occur to Colonel Goggin the day she went out to greet the new B-1 squadron commander that it would be her former classmate. 

"The interesting part is that I flew out here on an Air Force tanker and she greets all the tankers that come in. She came up and said 'where's Eli' and I knew she looked familiar," said Colonel Eliason. "I finally put two and two together." 

There they would meet again, nearly two decades later and their relationship - their wingman spirit, had not tarnished. 

"She looks a little different, but I look great except for my hair," teased Colonel Eliason. 

For a short time the colonel thought about cutting his Air Force ties as a captain. He got as far as taking terminal leave before realizing the grass wasn't greener on the other side. He still belonged in the Air Force family, he said. 

"What I learned from that time can be described by six words - lead, teach, mentor, humble, approachable and credible," said Colonel Eliason. "I try to lead with that approach and in the outside I didn't see that." 

Colonel Goggin and Colonel Eliason were thankful to see familiar faces in their expeditionary teammates. Instead of marching drills and leadership labs, they'd be working in a complex environment with multiple mission defense systems in non-stop, high-intensity combat air operations. Their bond elevated them to the top of their game during recent surge operations here when textbook integration and flawless execution was required. 

"During that span of a couple of weeks there was so much coordination with the tankers and bombers, fallout plans, alert tankers - you name it," said Colonel Eliason, the two worked very closely together during recent surge operations. "We had to 'what-if' scenarios to death. We were working 20 hours a day and it was exhausting. She helped me then and she does now." 

When it was all said and done the teammates successfully coordinated B-1 and KC-135 operations - carrying out key missions in the Global War on Terrorism. 

Their integration doesn't stop at the squadron doors. Even after the 14 hour, plus workday, the KC-135 and B-1 squadron commanders manage to make time for fun and their Airmen follow suit. 

They describe the bomber-tanker relationship here as unique, where the esprit de corps is high. The colonels set the tone for culture barriers to be lowered, fully integrating the tanker-bomber worlds professionally and socially. 

They describe their Air Force bond as one the "great intangibles."
"Professional relationships are great, but you've got to dig down and cultivate those personal relationships to really be a part of the Air Force wingman culture," said Colonel Eliason, husband and father of two girls ages 9 and 12 who reside at Dyess AFB. "Thanks to Kelly this has got to be the most comfortable multi-mission defense system environment I've ever been in." 

Colonel Goggin echoes his sentiments. 

"The relationships you develop while deployed will help you later in your Air Force journey," said the wife and mother of four children - two boys ages 2 and 14, and two girls 6 and 16 currently at Grand Forks AFB. "Building these bonds helps us get the mission accomplished and is what makes us the best Air Force in the world. We have a history. This is what it's all about - and that's how we roll."