Who’s the mad scientist in your squadron? Published Dec. 15, 2010 By Col. David Hafer 436th Operations Group commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The Air Force squadron is a great American institution. If you are lucky enough to serve in one then you know this. If you are assigned here and are not currently part of a squadron, I am willing to bet that at least a small part of you wishes you were a member of that hallowed place where mission and people converge to produce the effects and outcomes that define Dover Air Force Base, Del. The way I see it, one of my primary roles is to serve the 436th Operations Support Squadron, the 3rd Airlift Squadron, and the 9th Airlift Squadron. It is my job to set the conditions, remove barriers, and provide the resources for those three incredible squadrons to thrive. Let me shift gears and ask you a question. What do you do to make your squadron thrive, to make any of the Dover squadrons thrive? Really what I am asking is, are you part of the chemistry that makes your squadron tick? We all know those individuals in sections, flights, squads, teams, shifts and members of aircrews who set a certain tone - either good or bad - that everyone follows. I was a crewmember on a recent C-5 Galaxy mission into the Area of Responsibility when a situation started to conspire against us. At the end of our crew duty day, we rolled up to the billeting trailer with high expectations only to find it was temporarily closed. You could see in everyone's eyes that we were tired and just wanted to go to bed. Our immediate response: Look to one of the crew's informal leaders to see how he was reacting to the news. That's right; the entire crew stopped to see what Master Sgt. Gary Willet's reaction to the situation was going to be. His reaction: Let's go to the dining facility and get some breakfast. There was a soothing, simple quality to his leadership. He had the uncanny ability to get all of us to view the situation through his eyes. He was the functional mad scientist who, in that nondescript moment, created chemistry. If you are part of a squadron or associated with a squadron, you are at the epicenter of the most significant institution in our Air Force. Be a good steward of your informal role in your squadron. If you don't have an informal role, dig deep and find one. Be that Airman who creates chemistry and who others do not want to let down. Are mad scientists born or trained? I don't know. But I do know this. Anyone at this base can rise up from a section, flight, squad, team, shift or aircrew and be Sergeant Willet. I will continue to remove barriers at my level; now you find a way to create some chemistry! I didn't realize how much I count on the Sergeant Willets of the 436th Operations Group to create chemistry every day. Every time I walk into one the squadrons in the operations group, my heart starts to pound. We all have signed up to serve. Every one of you will give all, or part of the prime of your life to this great American institution. Make that experience a chemical reaction!