Page 10 - Nov2023

AlookbackatAFCCdemise

bringspainfulmemories

A tip of the hat to historian Dan Williams for organization the ATC officer became the airfield
the trip down memory lane with his “Providing operations flight commander working for a rated
the reins of command for 80 years!” article in the squadron commander. The new flights included
March 2023 Communicator. As a career air other cats and dogs like airfield management and
traffic control officer, his comments in regards to weather ops. Unfortunately, ATC was separated
the demise of AFCC brought back painful from its vital maintainers that kept things up and
memories. running.
When AFCC transitioned from major command The new operations squadrons were aligned
to field operating agency in 1991 it caused quite a under operations groups at the base level. At
culture shock for thousands of controllers and MAJCOM headquarters ATC staffs transitioned
ATC officers (myself included). Just imagine, from under the Communications Directorate to
your customer became your boss overnight! While the Director of Operations. A new organization,
ATC personnel continued to operate day-to-day in Air Force Flight Standards Agency, was
the same ATC facilities, their entire overhead established, led by a rated colonel, and tasked to
management and leadership was realigned. oversee the AF ATC business.
ATC was thrown into newly formed operations After suffering through growing pains, ATC
support squadrons along with other operations- emerged better for it. As German philosopher
related wing functions like intelligence, current Friedrich Nietzsche observed, “Out of life's school
ops, and flight records. Whereas previously the of war—what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.”
Chief of ATC Operations worked for the comm Col Bill Malec, USAF, Ret., O’Fallon, IL
squadron commander, a comm officer, in the new

Blasts from the past …

Lt Col (ret) Roland “Rocky” Gannon sent us two old
Communicator newsletters–one from February 1949
and one from June 1948. They were published monthly
for personnel of the Airways and Air Communications
Service in the Paci�ic. Rocky is featured in the 1949
edition for a GCA
“save” (see clipping
below left). It was
Rocky’s �ifth “save”.
Rocky was NCOIC of Haneda GCA
from 1947 to March 1949. Back

cover

1949

10 November 2023 Communicator Feb