Fond farewell brings new beginnings Published July 17, 2015 By Senior Airman Miles Wilson 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Even as a child, 94th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Brett Clark always knew what he wanted to do, even if he didn’t realize it. It started at a young age, where Clark’s mother realized he had an affinity toward toy and model air planes. “I think my mother realized I had a fascination with planes first,” said Clark. “Any time that I had money, I would go out and buy a model airplane which would last about a week, because I would constantly fly it around and it would end up in pieces.” Clark realized he wanted to be a pilot while attending Texas Christian University, where he was exposed to aircraft flying from Carswell Air Force Base. The base was in the area and hosted a variety of aircraft, which immediately grabbed the young Clark’s attention. “I had no intention of joining the military,” said the commander, “but Carswell AFB was not too far from Texas Christian, and we watched a lot B-52’s and KC-135’s. In particular, I was very fascinated by the F-105s.” Clark knew what he wanted to do, and took immediate steps to secure that future. He enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at TCU, aiming to become a pilot in the Air Force. But, Clark had a few hurdles to jump first. “My timing was poor,” said Clark. “They had already pushed out all of the pilot slots in the ROTC program, so I had to wait another year. At first, they told me that I couldn’t have a pilot slot, so I told them, ‘All right, see ya!’ After that, they said, ‘hold on, there are other options.’ I told them that there weren’t any other options for me. After that, they contacted me and told me that they had found a position for me.” After commissioning in 1983 and going through training, Clark was stationed at Dyess AFB as a C-130 Pilot. While in training, the new pilot who was not quite accustomed to flying suffered from air sickness. Despite that, Clark was able to overcome and soon rose to the near top of his class by the end of his training, earning him the Hard Charger Award. “Our father is extremely competitive,” said Kiley Rhoades, Clark’s daughter. “He had a drive that was unlike any other. He doesn’t know what it means to quit.” Clark finished training as a Distinguished Graduate, and was even named the top pilot evaluator in the Air Force Reserve Command. Clark said that his drive allowed him to rise above expectations as a pilot, and has contributed much to meeting his goals as a commander. “Competitiveness has made him a superb pilot and an outstanding leader,” said Pamela Younker, a member of the Air Force Chief of Staff’s National Civic Leaders Council. “And not in the negative way, but in a manner that drives him towards excellence. He has a pursuit of merit and quality that allowed him to make any command he worked with driven towards being the best.” Clark said his drive is the pursuit of excellence, which he has applied to all aspects of his career, from flying aircraft to being a commander. He served in positions such as flight evaluator, director of operations and commander, and has left lasting impressions wherever he goes. Lt. Col. James Danford, 94th AW chaplain, worked with Clark while he was at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Danford said Clark pushed to make the right calls, even if they weren’t the most popular. While there, the aircraft at Maxwell were at risk of being lost. “When at Maxwell AFB, Col. Clark was an advocate for making the hard decisions, the ones that are right,” said Danford. “At one point, Maxwell was lined up to lose its planes, and Clark was the one who fought to keep them. He brought up rosters and statistics, and showed them why Maxwell needed to retain its current mission. He probably made some people mad while doing it, he probably wasn’t thought very highly of by some, but he did it because it was right. He left them with that mindset.” “He didn’t do the easy thing,” he added, “he made a hard decision because it was the right thing to do, not the popular thing to do.” As a commander, Clark’s mindset switched drastically from that of a pilot. Instead of thinking about his own excellence, he had to think about pushing thousands of Airmen to the best of their abilities; and how to instill courage, selflessness and pride into them as well. “Clark’s goal was not only excellence, or the defense of the nation, or even to protect,” said Danford. “He wanted the Airmen to be the best that they could be. Whether it was at Maxwell, or at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, his goal was for the Airmen to be the best, and to be confident in themselves.” Aside from the Airmen, Clark focused on new aspects of being a commander, such as interacting with the community and with the plethora of organizations with interest in military. This included meeting with local political and business leaders and members of the community. “(Col.) Clark … sets the tone for our military and civilian partners to work together,” said David Connell, Cobb County Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer. “He is more involved in the community than any other commander I have seen, and goes above and beyond what is required. The first thing he did when he arrived at Dobbins was set into motion a strategic planning mission for the base and the wing, and he included over 100 people in the process to allow those who are implementing the plan to help develop it.” While at Dobbins, Clark was presented a lifetime membership to the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, making him the eighth individual in 110 years to do so, and the only military officer to ever receive one. It is an achievement that displays the extent of Clark’s determination and passion, to not only make a difference in one area, but to create a lasting impression of the Air Force in the community, said David Connell. After numerous Air Force achievements, Clark’s story in the military finally came to a close after 32 years of faithful service, making the way for a new beginning. “An hour before I retired, I didn’t think I was ready,” said Clark. “In fact, I was very nervous. But during the ceremony, after hearing the way others spoke about my career, I thought to myself, ‘I’m ready for this.’ I look forward to seeing the unit have a new opportunity with a commander with a fresh perspective. After all, stepping aside and inspiring new leaders is part of our job.”
