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Show 1 14 Hilltop Tirres JJy 3 LIFETIMES 1991 Colonel retires after 25 years of service Force because its talented, hardworking work force is capable of accomplishing any task. He said he has enjoyed his assignment here. "Each generation has its own challenges," he said. His was the benign neglect of basic logistics support by Frances Kosakowsky Hilltop times staff writer 66 Col. Ronald E. Gordon, director of the I CUM IYoduct Directorate, retired June 28 after 25 years in the Air Force and a lifetime in the military. The Air Force is a great way of life. You will never find a better Colonel Gordon, who calls himself a "military brat," has lived at 33 different addresses in his lifetime. This last assignment at Hill AFB makes Utah the state he's lived in the longest. "I've served two tours here," he said. "I was a maintenance officer in the Aircraft Division from 1972 to 1976 and then I was assigned here again as chief of science and technology in 1988. Eight years is the longest I've been anywhere." V Col. Ronald E. Gordon ICBM Product Looking back over his career, here. "Surveys indicate that the achievements we have made to date have been superficial, but as with everything in life, we have to start somewhere and each day, things get a little better," he . "The center is unique," he said. "There is no agency like it in the entire Department of Defense." said. On the subject of TQM, Colonel Gor-desaid, "TQM is our salvation at both the base and national levels." Some of this conviction, he said, is based on intuition and experience. "I have seen some incredible successes when an organization has made the commitment to adopt TQM down deep in its guts," he said. "When managers empower their employees by giving them the training they need and giving them what they need to get the job done, and when the whole or n Center helps customers Colonel Gordon said the center is highly successful because it reduces the acquisition time for field equipment, it helps customers focus on their acquisitions and it provides a forum for rapid information exchange be- tween the government and industry. From a personal standpoint, he said, "Implementing the total quality management program and getting the Directorate ganization focuses its attention on exceeding the expectations of the customer, miracles happen and, TQM concepts are applicable anywhere." Colonel Gordon's assessment of the challenges ahead for the Air Force in the future also involves TQM. "The Japanese have gone another evolutionary step beyond group think, brain storming, product teaming and consensus management," he said. "They have discovered that the truly successful teams have only one leader at any given time. "This leader operates independently in an unstructured environment. When we implemented TQM here at Hill, in our efforts to build teams, we forgot to build leaders at the first-lin- e level. If we don't correct that now, TQM will fail." He said the Ogden Air Logistics Center has a special place in the Air integrated organizational development reorganization started" are the most memorable events of his last tour over- come," he said. In forecasting future challenges to the new generation of leaders, the colonel said that coping with the changes caused by the downsizing and restructuring of tomorrow's Air Force will be their task. "Coping with change and accepting that they are the ones who are charged with solving the problems will undoubtedly be their biggest challenges," he said. 99 -- Colonel Gordon said his greatest contribution is his role in establishing the Software Technology Support Center here. This program eventually has been implemented Department of Defense-wide- structures. "But, this has been environment for teamwork and basic honesty in business dealings. The future As far as his own future, Colonel Gordon said he plans to incorporate his enthusiasm and expertise in white-wate- r canoeing into his new life. Beyond that, his plans are flexible. Colonel Gordon is a master maintenance officer. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal. "The Air Force is a great way of life," he said. "You will never find a better environment for teamwork and basic honesty in business dealings." 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