General Hayden visits Goodfellow

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Carissa Lee
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The man responsible for overseeing the Central Intelligence Agency visited Goodfellow Air Force Base last week as the guest speaker at an Intelligence Officer Course graduation ceremony Monday.

General Michael Hayden, the first intelligence officer to attain the rank of four-star general, spoke to the graduates of Class 070918 about applying what they have learned during their 6 months and more than 1,100 hours of intelligence training to real-world operations.

"This is a unique time to be entering the profession of intelligence," Gen. Hayden told the graduates. "This war we are fighting is an intelligence war--at no time in our history has the military been more dependent on intel."

According to the general, the intelligence field has transformed itself from a support function into an operational role.

General Hayden, who went through intelligence training in 1969 at Lowry Air Force Base, Colo., explained that about "...ten years ago there was a shift in thinking about intelligence--we transformed from a support function into an operational activity," he said. "We're now the lead."

And leading the class of 070918 was 2nd Lt. Lela Larson, who received the Gen. Michael Hayden award for being the top graduate of her class. Lieutenant Larson was the first person to be presented the award by the general. In addition, he presented her with a personal coin.

Following the presentation of the award, the general offered some advice to the grads.

He advised them to not only take their technical expertise to the field, but to move beyond the basics.

"You've been taught the techniques and have mastered the tools," he said. "But you will also need wisdom, which is more than any instructor can give you--that comes with time and experience."

As for career advice, Gen. Hayden offered the following to the Air Force's newest intel officers--"Narrow doorways." He relayed a short story his wife was fond of telling.

"When you move through life with a family, you expect to make decisions together; walking through doorways, side by side. However, there are going to be instances in your life when those doorways are only wide enough for one to fit through at a time," he explained.

"When those doorways present themselves, someone has to go through first and alone. Sometimes it's going to be your spouse, and sometimes it's going to be you. Family and sacrifice is what makes a well-rounded Airman succeed," he concluded.

The general closed his remarks with a simple challenge to the graduates of Class 070918--one they surely will rise to the occasion of fulfilling--"Keep us safe and keep us free!"

Following his remarks to the graduating class, Gen. Hayden took a few questions from the audience on a variety of topics, including intelligence collection, the budget and the war in Iraq.

After he departed the graduation, Gen. Hayden took some time to meet with Intelligence Master Skills Course students before departing Goodfellow en route back to Virginia.

However, his visit to Goodfellow was not one to be forgotten soon by those who were fortunate to hear the general speak and perhaps meet with him. Colonel Scott George, 17th Training Group commander, commented on the importance of having the CIA director make a stop at Goodfellow.

"General Hayden's visit here puts an exclamation point on the importance of Air Force Intelligence transformation and the increasingly important role our Intelligence Officers have in the execution of Air Force operations around the globe," Col. George said.

"Elevating our top graduate award to reflect one of the greatest intelligence officers the Air Force has produced emphasizes the importance of the role each will have today, but also provides a window into the potential magnitude of impact they can have as they grow through their careers," Col. George concluded.