Col. Brian Laidlaw, new vice commander shares thoughts

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Isaiah J. Soliz
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

A teenage boy lays down on the living room floor to watch TV. He switches channels and lands on the news where he sees powerful anti-aircraft guns firing away into the dark night sky, with tracer rounds burning through the air resembling a barrage of fireworks. The newsreel then cuts to a view of a fighter jet taxiing on a flightline somewhere deep in the arid desert with its pilot giving a thumbs up. Just as the pilot gives the thumbs up, the boy notices an American Flag stuffed into the corner of the cockpit. It is the height of the Gulf War.

For Col. Brian Laidlaw, the new vice commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, it is one of his strongest memories, which helped guide him toward the military and becoming a fighter pilot.

Laidlaw grew up immersed in the military culture. He attended airshows with his family, a pastime that helped bolster his love of airplanes and his desire to one day become a fighter pilot. His father was in the U.S. Coast Guard so naturally the family had several addresses throughout Laidlaw’s youth.

 

Laidlaw went on to become the fighter pilot he dreamed of being as a young boy. He is a 1997 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has had multiple fighter assignments and has flown both the F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor.

 

Fast forward several years to present day and Laidlaw now has a family of his own. Together they enjoy playing and watching sports including basketball, baseball and soccer. Laidlaw enjoys going to games and tournaments supporting his children who are immersed in sports.

 

“It’s a fun time at the stage in life that we are in,” said Laidlaw, smiling ear-to-ear. “My wife and I starting a family is one of my proudest moments. Right now we are in a position where that is our main purpose in life – to raise two healthy, responsible children.”

 

Laidlaw and his family have been stationed all across the U.S. from Alaska to Florida. He’s no stranger to the 325th Fighter Wing, as the new vice commander, this marks the third time Laidlaw has been assigned to Tyndall. To reacquaint himself with base organizations, Laidlaw has been spending time visiting units across the installation as part of an immersion program to learn about their mission and impact in projecting unrivaled combat airpower.

 

“My initial impression of these organizations since I showed up day one is they are extremely professional,” Laidlaw said. “The Airmen within the organizations that I have had the opportunity to visit so far showed me they all have a lot of pride for their organization. There were Airman who took ownership of their stations, who were excited to show me their duties and to tell me how they help accomplish the mission.”

 

Across the installation, Laidlaw was ‘impressed’ and ‘fired up’ when he saw firsthand that junior Airmen, the foundation of the Air Force, were being empowered and encouraged to be innovative while executing and taking ownership of their duties, projects and their roles in the mission.

 

“Empowered innovation at the lowest possible level. These commanders and supervisors and senior NCOs are letting their Airmen try new ideas and ways of doing it better and they are empowering them to get it done,” Laidlaw added. “That is really encouraging to see not only for Tyndall, but for our Air Force because that is absolutely what we need and it is certainly consistent with what the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force are looking for regarding innovation in our Air Force.”

 

Laidlaw, deep in thought, reminisced about his 20 years of commissioned service thus far.

 

“As I look back, I took the Air Force up on the opportunities that were presented to me,” Laidlaw said. “Never did I expect to be in the Air Force for 20 years. I knew I wanted to be a fighter pilot and I knew I wanted to lead Airmen every opportunity I get. As long as the Air Force is going to continue to offer me opportunities to lead and I feel I can positively influence other Airmen and make the organization better, I am going to continue to serve.”

 

Positioned on the table in front of Laidlaw sat a book he carries with him everywhere. A section within the book titled “Leadership, Lessons Learned” coupled with personal experience and advice he’s received throughout his career have all helped Laidlaw grow as a leader over the years.

 

“The big three for me are leadership, loyalty and hard work. I do not subscribe to the notion that leadership just happens as a byproduct of doing our job,” Laidlaw said. “Leadership is a conscientious effort that requires constant refinement and requires attention. It requires setting expectations and making adjustments as you go along. I do not think that official titles are necessarily a prerequisite to being a leader. Leadership is about positively influencing other people.”

 

Laidlaw began to share his thoughts about loyalty.

 

“As I think back to all the successful organizations I have been a part of there is one common theme, loyalty. I could trust the men and women beside me in any situation,” Laidlaw said. “I knew when things got hard or challenging that they were going to be there for me. I don’t mean to imply in any way shape or form that it’s blind loyalty. Sometimes loyalty is pulling someone aside and telling them they’re wrong, sharing how they can help or hurt the organizations reputation, and then helping them resolve the issue at hand.”

 

Laidlaw credits loyalty to creating some of the most cohesive units he’s ever seen in the military.

 

“Hard work will be rewarded in one way, shape or form. You should never be accused of working too hard. Working hard does not necessarily mean working long, it means doing the absolute best that you can at the job you are given,” Laidlaw said. “Without question there are jobs that we all get throughout our career that we do not like but if we work on them you never know what doors will open.”

 

Laidlaw believes hard work is the biggest ingredient used as a measure of success.

 

“Without exception the Airmen at the lowest levels, where the mission hits the road, have shown me they understand what we do every day and how that translates into projecting air dominance,” Laidlaw said. “It has been impressive for me, as the new vice commander, to come in and hear the young Airmen tell me their mission and how excited they are to do it. They articulate it in a way that is tangible, real, it is accurate and they understand the importance and impact of the tasks they do every single day. That is exactly what gets me fired up.”

 

He enjoys stopping by unannounced and visiting Airmen as they work, the Airmen working on the flightline, the back shops and deep in all the groups. He believes that getting close to the Airmen in turn allows a leader to truly understand the mission. The Airmen are the mission as it is occurring, Laidlaw said.

 

In final thoughts, Laidlaw had a reminder for all his fellow Airmen.

 

“Be a leader any way that you can, be loyal to the men and women serving around you and just simply work hard.”