Dad's little helper

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Douglas Gilpin
  • 325th Civil Engineer Squadron commander
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  My parents moved to Salado, Texas in 1972 when I was just two years old. This is the place I will always call home. Salado was, and still is, a very small Texas town. In 1972 it was maybe a little less than a thousand people and today somewhere around three or four. My parents had bought a small farm about eight miles south of town that included an old house and a barn on 40 acres. My dad once told me the house was in such bad shape that it wasn't even valued during the appraisal; essentially they had paid for only the 40 acres and the barn. Growing up on that small farm is what made me who I am today.

As you can imagine there was a lot of work to be done moving into such an old house and living on a farm. On top of that, my dad, the construction foreman, did not believe in "outsourcing." If it needed to be done, whether it was rewiring the house, building an addition, or rebuilding the motor in his work truck, it was work he did himself. That is where I came in. No matter what the job, and I remember some fun ones, some not so fun ones, some easy ones, and some hard ones, I was always there beside my dad helping as best I could. Granted, that early on I was certainly not much help, but during my teenage years I think my dad was quite appreciative of all that I did around the farm. Being a big help to my dad during my teenage years came as a result of a few traits he instilled within me very early on.

I was always known as my dad's little helper. With that he expected me to, first and foremost, learn by watching him and, second, to anticipate what tool or part he needed next. I remember one day helping with making repairs to some water lines that had broken during a hard freeze. This was probably a water line to our garden or somewhere out back and the line was, of course, not buried very deep. This is because the top soil was not very deep as we would typically find a layer of solid rock about 8 - 12 inches below the surface. Again, since my dad did not hire out for anything, our water lines were shallow and susceptible to freezing. I remember asking my dad how to make the connections and I clearly remember his reply, "I shouldn't have to tell you how to do this, you've been watching me all this time so you should know already." From that point on, I tried to learn all I could by watching my dad work. If I saw him do something once, then it was my intent to learn all I could from what I saw. I learned from seeing and watching. I still think that today I learn best from seeing and watching.

My dad told me on many occasions that a good helper always anticipated what his boss needed next. By the time I was in high school, I think my mother believed I could actually read my dad's mind. But actually after working with him so closely on the farm for some 15 years, whether it was repairing a water line or running a new electrical circuit in the old house, I knew the process and was certainly one step ahead of my dad, always anticipating what tool or what part he needed next. My job as my dad's little helper was to make the work easier for him. It may seem trivial, but when he needed a hammer, placing it in his hand so it was ready to swing without adjustment, was important. When handing him a handful of nails, ensuring they were all facing the same direction, made the job go faster. Always having what he needed ready to go without him having to ask was what my dad expected of his helper.

Growing up on a small farm and being my dad's helper is one of my fondest memories. I always tried to be the best helper I could and when I go home to visit these days, what I enjoy most is going outside and helping my dad with work around the farm. Not near as much work gets done on the farm anymore. My dad is getting older and the summers are getting hotter. Well the summers aren't really getting hotter, but as you get older they sure feel like it.

Why do I tell this story that may not seem too pertinent? I tell it because it is who I am. These traits I learned from my dad are a few of the traits that I believe have made me successful in the Air Force. First, learn at every opportunity and learn from what you see. I would consider myself a rather quiet person, but I'm always watching and trying to learn all I can. Second, be a good helper. Throughout my career in the Air Force, I've always tried to be the best helper I could for the boss I had at the time. I do this by approaching every job from the viewpoint that no other job is more important than the one I have at the time.

So, if I could leave with just a few thoughts for you to consider and how I approach each day. Take every opportunity to learn and make yourself better. There is no job more important than the one you have today. I'm sure you've heard this before at some time in your Air Force career and I too have heard it many times over the years. You may have learned this from a coworker, a family member, or a friend, but for me it was from my dad, growing up on our 40-acre farm.