April 19 - United States Air Force Academy

Academy Spirit
FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013 9
Lorenz on Leadership:
A chance encounter
Commentary by retired Gen. Stephen Lorenz
As a leader, you must always
be observant of what is going on
around you. Literally you need to
observe, listen and sense in a 360
degree circle in real time. To truly
be effective, you need to have your
radar up and running at all times
because you never know when you
can make a difference.
Recently, I was walking to my car
after a meeting with the Air Force
Academy Director of Athletics
and I chanced upon a cadet walking
back to the cadet area. She
seemed deep in thought and very
preoccupied. I turned and asked
her how she was doing. I could
tell she was thinking, “who is this
stranger and I don’t have time to
talk to him.”
I persisted and once again asked
how she was doing. She said
“fine”, but I could tell something
was wrong. I introduced myself
and reminded her that I had talked
about leadership with her cadet
class about six months before.
She seemed to remember and then
finally told me about her recent
academic and discipline challenges.
I listened carefully, paused
and related to her some similar
challenges I faced 40 years before
when I was cadet. We talked about
the struggles of having to study
harder to make better grades, and
that when you break the rules you
must be a leader and accept the
consequences of your bad decisions.
I asked her what her personal
goals were
and she said she
wanted to graduate
from the
Academy and be
commissioned
an officer in the
Air Force.
I remember
all those many
years ago when I
was restricted to
my room studying
and serving
confinements. I
would get depressed
and
start feeling sorry
for myself. To
keep my motivation
up, I would
look at a picture
of my class ring
and remind myself
why I was
at the Academy.
It helped me on my darkest days.
This cadet was still a year away
from ordering her ring, so I gave
her my tie tack which had the Air
Force symbol on it. I told her that
she must never give up on her goal
and that when she was down in the
months to come, she should hold
that small Air Force symbol in her
hand and let it remind her why she
was at the Academy. She took it,
said thank you and said she had to
get back to class. As she walked
away, I realized that I never even
got her name. I told my wife about
this encounter and put this chance
“The next time you are
out among people, even if
you are just walking down
the street, take the time
to notice each one as an
individual. You may have
the chance to make a
huge difference.”
meeting out of
my mind.
However,
much to my
surprise, two
days later I
received an e-
mail from the
cadet’s father.
In part it said:
“Hello Mr.
Lorenz, I have
not had the
honor of meeting
you, but…
my daughter,
though, has
had the opportunity.
You see, my
daughter was
the cadet you
- Retired Gen. Stephen Lorenz
came across
two days ago
outside Clune
Arena. Although
you may believe it was a
chance encounter, she believes it
was something quite different. Her
exact words to her mother and I
was that running into you was “a
sign.” What you told her and said
to her had a huge impact on her,
one that she will never forget. You
helped her to reaffirm her commitment
to the Academy and why
she went there. After a hard day
with some difficult conversations
and the normal struggles that
most cadets face, she was starting
to question whether she belonged
at the Academy. Suddenly, you appeared,
and were kind and compassionate
enough to realize she
was in need of a sympathetic person
who could relate to her. Your
conversation impacted her greatly,
and she left your encounter more
determined and intent on graduating
because she received (your
message) when she needed it most.
Her mother and I live close to 650
miles away. We couldn’t be there
for her at that moment, but we
want to thank you for taking the
time to stop and help someone in
need. Taking time and having the
patience to listen, be understanding,
sympathetic, and impacting a
stranger’s life forever. This is not
an exaggeration, but a fact we feel
strongly about. There was a reason
you were there to help her and,
for that, we will always be thankful
to you. We just wanted you to
know the influence you had on
our daughter and that you made
a difference in her life that day …
Thank you again!”
Let me emphasize that this story
is not about me. I was just there
and asked the cadet how she was
doing. It is about observing those
around you and making a difference
when you least expect it. If
you are observant, even chance encounters
provide an opportunity
to make a difference in someone’s
life. So, the next time you are out
among people, even if you are just
walking down the street, take the
time to notice each one as an individual.
You may have the chance
to make a huge difference.
Echoes of an Air Force legacy: the story of ‘Falcon Fight’
Commentary by Airman 1st Class Kevin Cerovich
Air Force Academy Band unit public affairs representative
Getting to speak with the wife of the composer
of the Academy’s fight song, “Falcon Fight”
was an incredible opportunity. Discovering the
man whose entire life embodied the heritage of
the Academy as a professional musician and instructor
was even more intriguing.
What’s amazing is that retired Tech. Sgt. Forrest
Ray didn’t realize until years later he had
composed the Academy’s rallying cry for all
graduates in the Academy’s long blue line.
Since its inception in 1956, the Air Force Academy
has evolved into the No. 1 regional college
in the western United States. The long blue line
has grown to 43,901 graduates since the 1959
class at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. Let’s
travel back in time with an Airman who wrote
the most beloved Academy song all those years
ago.
How did an Academy Band member seize the
chance to compose the song that has lifted spirits
and bolstered institutional pride?
Forrest Ray’s wife, Virginia Ray, said “Because
he was initial cadre at the Academy, he was
privileged to be part of a close-knit group of
musicians who dubbed themselves ‘The 55ers.’
The 55ers were called on to train cadets because
there were no upperclassmen. There was a contest
to get the Airmen to compose an alma mater
and fight song. My husband came up with a
fight song, but he missed the deadline due to the
rigors of music composition and editing. Nevertheless,
he did get it finished and turned in.”
“A few months before his death, a
salesman friend teased him about
playing music for a living to which
Forrest replied, ‘When’s the last time
you turned on the radio to listen to a
used car salesman?’”
— Virginia Ray
wife of Forrest Ray,
composer of “Falcon Fight”
Hearing nothing he liked better, the first Academy
Band Commander Capt. Carl “Costy”
Costenbader approved it to become became
the Academy’s official fight song. Virginia Ray
said.
“Forrest never knew until some 40 years later
when I was surfing the Internet and came across
it,” she said. “ I asked him if he recognized the
tune, and he replied that it sounded familiar.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘it says here you wrote it.’”
Born Jan. 28, 1930 in Huntington, W.Va., Forrest
Ray faced numerous challenges. After his
father’s death, his mother was admitted to a
tuberculosis sanitarium when Forrest was 10
months old, and he was placed in an orphanage
in Ohio. Forrest Ray began playing various
instruments but by high school was an avid
tuba player. He later earned a job playing in the
Army Air Corps in 1947. After assignments in
Florida, Hawaii and Washington, D.C., Ray
was transferred to the Academy Band.
The Rays first met in Colorado Springs in
1961.
“I landed a job teaching at Harrison High
School; Forrest was stationed at the Academy,”
Virginia Ray said. “Both of us were contacted
by the pastor of a local church to assist with the
music program. We were married in February
of 1965.”
Upon retiring in 1968 from the 9th Air Force
band in Sumter, S.C, the Rays stayed heavily
involved in their community. In addition to
bringing military and civilian bands to Sumter
for years, Forrest Ray helped start a 5k benefit
run, still held today.
After his death Feb. 9, 2007, Virginia Ray remained
active in her community. Recently, she
brought The Jazz Ambassadors from the Army
Field Band in Washington D.C., the Wind Ensemble
from The Air Force Heritage of America
Band, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. and the
U.S. Air Force Academy Band Falconaires to
Sumter.
Forrest Ray was always a strong proponent of
the power of music to connect with people, Virginia
Ray said.
“A few months before his death, a salesman
friend teased him about playing music for a living,”
Virginia Ray said, “to which Forrest replied,
‘When’s the last time you turned on the
radio to listen to a used car salesman?’”
I draw inspiration from Forrest Ray’s story,
both in breadth of career and ability to do what
every musician aspires to do: change our world
for the better. The next time you watch the Falcons
play, listen for “Falcon Fight” and remember
the man whose legacy echoes through the
concert hall, a legacy that will now echo for generations
to come.