Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
6/24/2014 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- "You will touch the soil of many lands" is a fortune 2nd Lt. Eric Fiel opened 33 years ago from a Chinese fortune cookie. Today, Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel still keeps that fortune in his wallet as he reflects back on his career as an Air Commando and his ultimate job as the head of Air Force Special Operations Command.
But how he became an Air Commando is a story within itself. Born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., Fiel said he was on his fifth year of college and just didn't know what he wanted to do.
"One day, I just said to my roommates, 'let's go talk to a recruiter,'" said Fiel. "The Air Force commercial back then was 'A Great Way of Life.' So, they all said sure. The next morning, I was the only one who woke up and went down to the recruiter's office."
Fiel said he'd never been anywhere and had never flown on an airplane, but he thought the Air Force might be something worthwhile.
"I went down and took the test and came home and told my parents I was joining the Air Force. Then, off I went to Officer Training School."
Fiel said the Air Force put a little discipline in his life and he never planned on staying in as long as he did. He even became an Air Commando by a fluke because someone traded assignments with him in navigator school.
"I ended up getting B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer, and I was going to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Two- thirds of the way through school, my buddy asked if I would trade with him since his girlfriend got a job in Texas. I said, 'What have you got?' He said, 'I've got an MC-130 EWO to special ops.' I asked, 'What's that?' And he said he didn't know. But I did know where Fort Walton Beach was and that sounded pretty good to me. So, off I went to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field in August 1982."
And now, as Fiel reflects on his resolute service to a command that grew from 14 airplanes and 4,982 people to a command more than 277 airplanes and 19,500 people; he remembers the people who influenced him as a young officer.
"I would say my previous squadron commanders influenced me," said Fiel. "You have a lot of good squadron commanders, you have some OK squadron commanders, and you have some not so good - you just take notes."
And he took notes from his first squadron commander, retired AFSOC commander Maj. Gen. John Hobson, then Lt. Col. Hobson, at the 8th SOS.
Hobson said he had some reservations when Fiel, fresh from EWO school, showed up.
"He was our first lieutenant EWO," said Hobson. "I had some hesitation about a second lieutenant's experience in such an important crew position, but he soon doused my concerns with his knowledge and enthusiasm. He jumped in feet-first, became an instructor EWO in minimum time, and he always volunteered for additional duties."
Hobson said Fiel was destined to lead from early in his career as he was smart and aggressive and didn't shy away from challenging squadron and wing assignments.
"Eric was a great leader because he set high standards, expected his troops to comply and treated his people, regardless of rank, with dignity and respect," said Hobson.
Fiel said the hard work was influenced early on by his parents who had a good work ethic.
"I started working at 12 or 13 with a paper route," said Fiel. "My dad worked, my mom worked, my sister worked...all of us did. I bailed a lot of hay and milked a lot of cows too, living on a dairy farm."
And hard-working is what Fiel remembers most about the Air Commandos he grew up with. While he didn't quite know what AFSOC did before he showed up, he learned pretty quickly what it was like to be referred to as an Air Commando and to be part of the special operations forces joint team.
"I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of passionate people back then," said Fiel. "They loved their mission. They didn't care how difficult it was, they were gonna do it. And they enjoyed it. The commandos now are a little bit younger but they're no different than we were back then. They still want to do the hard missions. They have the same Air Commando spirit. No mission's too difficult. No task is too hard. They don't care about getting the credit. They just want to do it and have the satisfaction that they did something great."
One of those Air Commandos, former AFSOC Command Chief Bill Turner, who grew up in the command with Fiel remembers him well. In March 1998, then Tech. Sgt. Turner signed into the 4th SOS commanded by then Lt. Col. Fiel.
"The 4th SOS was a fledgling organization, housed in a trailer on the back of Hurlburt over by the firing range," said Turner, current command chief at U.S. Transportation Command. "The trailer was not big so we were crammed in there pretty tight. When it's tight like that you have to get along...and we mostly did."
"Colonel Fiel and his wife, Donna, made it a family-like environment...and it was fun," continued Turner. "He was always out and about talking with the team. He was humble and unassuming and helped everyone feel at ease. Having said that, he was always the consummate professional. He had a squadron to prepare for the combat ops that would soon come its way, so the training tempo was pretty intense. Even after all these years I remember sitting in a staff meeting and he was discussing discipline issues, and the need for accountability. I was struck by his integrity and commitment to doing the right thing for the right reason."
Turner's last assignment was working side-by-side with Fiel where he remembers Fiel as an exceptional major command commander.
"He's the very first home-grown special operations forces general officer to lead AFSOC," said Turner. "Along with that comes more than 33 years of unique experience. He's served...and excelled...at all levels of leadership, to include many tours in the joint special operations arena as a combat commander. So, his credentials are high within the Special Ops community and its leaders."
One such Special Ops leader is retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of Joint Special Operations Command, who Fiel served for as his deputy. McChrystal said working with Fiel was not only a pleasure, it was an honor.
"Eric possesses, and demonstrates, bedrock values that guide every decision he makes and every order he gives," said McChrystal. "Those values of integrity, loyalty, and mission accomplishment drive him to lead others naturally to doing what's right. He doesn't wring his hands or raise a moistened finger to determine which way the wind is blowing, he simply allows his moral compass to provide direction - and it does so unerringly."
As a leader, Fiel is well known in the command by the statement, "Only commanders can make change."
"Commanders provide the vision and mission," said Fiel. "And if they're not willing to make change, the unit isn't going to change. If they want to make change and they don't do it themselves, it's not going to happen. You have to have follow up. You can impact behavior to the positive, and I believe in letting the commanders do their job and not the staff. Staffs don't make decisions. Staffs are there to support."
He added what's most important is the Airman downrange or the Airman on the flightline turning the wrench.
"If you don't live that life every day to make sure those Airmen have everything they need--money, resources, whatever to do their job--they're not going to do their job," said Fiel. "The maintenance job is to fly and fix airplanes. It's really that simple. If they don't have all the materials so they can generate sorties so that crew can fly in there, or security forces doesn't have what they need to guard the gate or maybe they're guarding outside the wire, the mission can fail."
"I don't do the mission," continued Fiel. "My job was to make sure they had all the tools. So, if I had money, it was gone. If a commander wanted to do something, I supported it."
McChrystal echoed that philosophy about taking care of the people. He said the performance of people is the ultimate determinant of almost every outcome, in every organization, but particularly in special operations.
"Like Eric Fiel, I learned that empowering the people with whom I served to use their talent and judgment is the single best way to provide the highest probability of success," said McChrystal. "It demands that we decentralize the authority and resources needed for our subordinates to act rapidly, yet understand that we never pass our responsibility off. It demands providing levels of trust that can be frightening to some leaders, yet in today's increasingly fast-paced and complex environment, it is essential."
After his time at JSOC with McChrystal, Fiel became the vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command at the Pentagon where he began working on a vision; a vision that would ultimately lead AFSOC to the place it is today.
"I tried to figure out. If I want to try to make this happen, who's the decision maker," explained Fiel. "If I need to do an organization change request, who do I need to talk to? If I need to go buy this or modify that, who do I need to talk to? Or do I really have to ask permission? I came into the job [AFSOC] and I was going to take six months to just kind of look at things, but I couldn't wait. After just 30 days, I knew what I wanted to do."
Turner said he learned from Fiel to never take no for an answer.
"There's always a yes...you just need to know what the cost will be," said Turner. "By cost I mean dollars, resources, decision space, risk, etc. Never ask someone a question who can only say no and doesn't have the authority to say yes."
And as Fiel refers back to the vision to grow AFSOC, he said, I came in and did it.
"People said, aw you can't do it," said Fiel. "I said don't tell me I can't do something. And now, we're postured around the globe. We have more opportunities for our leaders to command. People and airplanes are still moving. If you are held hostage someplace overseas, you don't have to wait for forces from the states. If SOF forces are needed, you don't have to wait, we're right there."
Turner said Fiel will not only be remembered for his leadership and his determination but also his passion for taking care of his Airmen and their families--who he always placed first. He lived by the SOF truth that humans are more important than hardware.
"The really great thing about General Fiel is his passion for the force and families," said Turner. "He seems stoic when you first meet him, but spend quality time with him and you find out quickly his love of people. Every decision he has made was centered around making AFSOC better for our Nation, for sure, but also for our Air Commandos."
His wife, Donna, said her husband believes that one person can make a difference and he's always been there for his troops.
"He's never been one to go with the flow, he's always pushed to make sure that our Air Commandos are taken care of," said Donna. "He's not a politician, he's always been a warfighter and he loved every minute he spent doing what he was trained to do."
When asked why family is so important to the command and to the mission, Fiel said it's the families who are affected each and every time an Air Commando deploys.
He remembers the first opportunity he had to pin a silver star on an Air Commando. He said the commandos don't care about the medals or going through the ceremony, but the family does.
"I watched the little kids' eyes during the first ceremony," said Fiel. "They were so proud. Now, every time I give out a medal, I ask the kids if they'd like to pin the medal on their parent. AFSOC has been deployed since I came here in August 1982. It's been non-stop. No other major command can say that. There's always been a major portion of this command that's been forward-postured. And so the families take a toll."
After touching the soil of many lands in a command he initially knew nothing about, in a career he didn't think he'd stay in for the long-haul, in a spec ops community that has been described as the most elite in the world, Fiel hopes to be remembered as someone who gave people a chance and more opportunity.
When asked what he thinks people will remember him for, he smiled and said they will probably remember him for his impatience.
"But at the end of the day, there is more opportunity for our commanders and our Airmen," said Fiel. "I hope I can be remembered as a commander who tried hard and took care of the people."
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." --Douglas Adams
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