And to Tincanman — you were twisting Darryl’s words. Classic political tactic. Are you running?

I have had the honor of serving under a couple of officers that I respected as much as General Skoch, but none that I respected more. He was a caring and deeply humble leader, one I’d happily follow anywhere. Not sure who Tincanman is talking about, but it’s not the General Skoch I knew.

I won’t comment on what might have happened 25 years ago in West Texas but the Bernie Skoch I know will make a great Arkansas Leader.

For what “constitutional” reason are Americans supposed to elect Congressmen if not to honor the Oath of Office?

Allan

Your recital of the lines on his Officer Evaluation Report (OER) on his accomplishments brought a smile. Were you actually standing at attention when you typed those? You can wave your finger and point to all the little materialistic Air Force political trinkets he has on his “I Love Me” wall all you want. You can read all the OER statements verbatim till you are blue in the face. I’m not impressed, nor will it change what I know of the man and it won’t change the past. It is admirable that you stand up for your friend and you can vote for him if you like, that’s your option. He will never get my vote.

You “urge me to reconsider my recall” of him? Be honest. What you really want me to do is rewrite history so it’s more convenient for you and your political candidate. Do you really want me to lie? You can stand down on that one. Not going to happen. You think it’s “in my best interest” to keep my mouth shut about the truth? Really? Or what? Tell us, has he promised you a cushy little political appointment job if he gets elected? Sounds like it. Thank you for making my point about Bernie and his followers such as yourself. You demand we do it your way or there will be retribution? Typical veiled threat duly noted. I’d expect nothing less. Not the kind of people we want in political office at any level, not in Tennessee, not in Arkansas, not in the U.S.A.

One more thing, Darryl. Thank you for visiting my website and quoting from it. I’m honored. Mostly, thank you for opening your mouth and proving my quote. Looks like you have a teabag wedged in there.

Allan

Of course the real reason for my contribution to this dialog is that, quite simply, I’m a friend of Bernie Skoch as well as a former airman under his command. I can tell you with absolute confidence after 26 years in the Air Force and nearly a half-century of life that there is *always* two (if not more) sides to every story, and I feel obligated to balance this blog with my side of Bernie Skoch’s story.

I served with no officer–commissioned or non-commissioned—-who is more humble, smarter, wiser (far distinct from “smarter”), principled, or compassionate than Brigadier General (BG)-Retired Bernard K. Skoch. From my direct experience as a senior enlisted member of BG Skoch’s Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) major command staff, I can authoritatively testify that he trusted, respected, and relied on every military and civilian staffer—-particularly the enlisted force from the Staff Sergeant administrator to the Chief Master Sergeant career field manager—-for their expertise and skills. As evidence of this claim, Bernie entrusted me—-then a Senior Master Sergeant—-to manage his largest budget ($50 million-plus), his biggest and most diverse career field (approximately 1,100 personnel), and one of his most visible communications-operations initiatives (command and control network regionalization). To be clear, several other enlisted staff members by Bernie’s personal appointment managed multi-million dollar budgets, large career fields, and high-impact national security-sensitive projects, so my individual account is just the tip of the iceberg in validating Bernie Skoch’s personal and professional character as an Air Force leader.

After leaving PACAF in July 1997, I didn’t have the privilege of directly serving with Bernie at his follow-on assignments to the Air Staff, the Defense Information Systems Agency, or Headquarters Air Force, so I’ll confine my post-PACAF remarks to two undisputable facts which plainly underscore Bernie Skoch’s relationship with the Air Force enlisted force.

First, Bernie’s most coveted Air Force rank is not Brigadier General, but the honorary Chief Master Sergeant title confirmed and bestowed to him upon his retirement by hundreds of Chief Master Sergeants stationed throughout the Washington DC military and worldwide DoD communications communities. Consideration for—-and, more so, presentation of—-this title is uniquely selective, so Bernie’s status as an honorary Chief Master Sergeant can only be indicative of an extremely positive rapport with the enlisted force.

Second, Bernie and his wife, Debbie, traveled over 5,000 miles at personal expense upon my request for him to preside over my Air Force retirement ceremony. Quite honestly, I initially questioned the inconsideration of my request due to the exorbitant expense, time, and distance, but rationalized my call to Bernie as a respectful muse. Needless to say, Bernie and Debbie completely rearranged their finances and schedule to join me and my family for a truly memorable ceremony. In light of such an event and the self-less effort to make it happen, I simply fail to see how anyone could view such a man as being a “selfish,…ego-centric…tyrant”.

I’ve alerted former Air Force enlisted and commissioned members—representing the entirety of communications operations and maintenance career fields and including a few from Goodfellow AFB, TX during BG Skoch’s honorable service—to this blog, and I’ve encouraged them to contribute proper perspective to Bernie Skoch’s story as they see fit. Their testimony will reveal that Bernie was acclaimed “The Best Commander in the Air Force” by his enlisted troops, that every Inspector General team evaluating Bernie’s units graded enlisted morale as “Outstanding”, and other first-hand facts from the respectful voices that actually served with him.

To Tincanman and your fellow Arkansas veterans, I’m grateful for your service to this nation in which you voluntarily protected our freedoms—particularly speech. I urge you to reconsider your recall of Bernie Skoch, especially the unfounded statements that he supported Dukakis or any other Democrat for that matter. Further, I would encourage you to give BG Skoch the consideration of your identity and complaint to which you can expect a heartfelt explanation (and apology if warranted) that will be delivered both publically and as a hand-written personal note in characteristic Bernie Skoch graciousness and fashion. Short of that, I feel it’s in your best interest to heed the words from your personal web site in future replies: “Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought of as a complete, blithering idiot than to open your mouth and actually prove you are a complete, blithering idiot.”