General Foglesong returns to speak at Class 09-12 graduation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jacob Corbin
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  A former Columbus Air Force Base wing commander and retired 4-star general spoke at the graduation of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 09-12 at the Kaye Auditorium July 24.

Gen. Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, former commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and eighteenth president of Mississippi State University, spoke to the graduates and their families about the importance of their graduations, international relations and the importance of character during the ceremony.

The general started out by explaining he's received lots of awards and other objects during his career, but most of them are somewhere in his attic. The one item that's he always known its location was something the new pilots were about to receive - his silver wings.

He emphasized his point by reaching into his pocket and showing the wings he received years earlier to the assembled graduates, friends, family and BLAZE Team members.

"This (graduating pilot training) is a measure of your personal and professional discipline," General Foglesong said.

Class 09-12's graduation featured graduates from five other nations, Iraq, Jordan, Uganda, Ecuador and Portugal.

"You all (the international students) sitting here is a great example of how the U.S. should never do anything alone," he said.

He continued by saying the graduates were the next generation of leadership for the assembled nations.

"Your nations are not only looking to you for your aviation skills, but are looking to you to become leaders," the general said.

General Foglesong closed by talking to the graduates about the importance of character, and specifically, courage. He said there are numerous aspects of character, ranging from integrity and honor, to passion and compassion, but in his mind the most important is courage.

"None of the other defining aspects of character matter, unless you have courage," he said.

The general remarked there are two types of courage, physical and moral, and that both are important.

He defined physical courage as being willing to put yourself in harm's way to defend another, and moral courage as making the right decisions even if what's right isn't popular. 

General Foglesong said that if the people following someone see character in their leader, it will spill over and they will have it also.