Robert D. Gaylor (born May 8, 1930) is a retired Chief Master Sergeant of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

who served as the 5th

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (acronym: CMSAF) is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and position of office represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force, ...

from 1977 to 1979.

Early life

Gaylor was born on May 8, 1930, in

Bellevue, Iowa Bellevue ( ) is a city in eastern Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The city lies along the Mississippi River (at Lock and Dam No. 12) and next to Bellevue State Park. In 2020 its population was 2,363; up from a count of 2,191 at the 2010 ...

; however, most of his youth was spent in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Military career

Gaylor entered the

in September 1948 and was assigned to the

security police Security police officers are employed by or for a governmental agency or corporations to provide security service security services to those properties. Security police protect facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and enforce cer ...

career field, in which he served until 1957. In September 1957 he served as a military training instructor at

Lackland Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of Sa ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, until February 1962. He then returned to the security police field until July 1965. During Gaylor's security police years, his early assignments were at

James Connally Air Force Base James Connally Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located north of Waco, Texas. After its closure in 1968, the airport reopened as TSTC Waco Airport. History World War II The airport opened May 5, 1942 as Waco Army Air Field and ...

, Texas;

Laredo Air Force Base Laredo Air Force Base, is a since-deactivated Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) installation of the Air Training Command (ATC) in Laredo, Texas. The facility was originally established as Laredo Army Air Field, a World War II U.S. Army Air For ...

, Texas;

Kunsan Air Base Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan (also romanized as Kunsan), about south of Seoul. ...

, Korea;

Tachikawa Air Base is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service. History Origins Tach ...

, Japan;

Columbus Air Force Base Columbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Columbus, Mississippi. The host unit at Columbus AFB is the 14th Flying Training Wing (14 FTW), which is a part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The residenti ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

; and

Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Gaylor was an honor graduate of Class 65B of the Second Air Force Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy at Barksdale Air Force Base. After graduation in April 1965 he was selected to be an instructor at the academy and taught there until it closed in April 1966. Following a security police tour at

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in northeast Thailand, approximately 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Bangkok and about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the centre of the city of Nakhon Ratchasi ...

, Thailand, Gaylor returned to Barksdale and assisted in reopening the SAC NCO Academy. In February 1970 he became senior enlisted adviser for Second Air Force. In July 1971 Gaylor transferred to Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), where he traveled to USAFE teaching management techniques. In June 1972 he established the USAFE Command Management and Leadership Center, an in-residence, 60-hour course of instruction for USAFE NCOs. He continued as noncommissioned officer in charge of the center until his selection as USAFE Senior Enlisted Adviser in August 1973. In September 1974 Gaylor was assigned to the Air Force Military Personnel Center, where he traveled extensively as a management and leadership instructor. He became chief master sergeant of the Air Force in 1977 and retired July 31, 1979. Gaylor was appointed

in 1977. In this role he was adviser to

Secretary of the Air Force A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

John C. Stetson and Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force, General David C. Jones and General

Lew Allen Lew Allen Jr. (September 30, 1925 – January 4, 2010) was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff, Allen served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer ...

, on matters concerning welfare, effective utilization and progress of the enlisted members of the Air Force. He was the fifth chief master sergeant appointed to this ultimate

noncommissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

position.

Later life

After retiring from the Air Force, Gaylor taught, coached, and mentored leaders at all levels for

USAA The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a San Antonio-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies including a Texas Department of Insurance-regulated reciprocal inter-insurance exchange and subsidiaries offeri ...

, a Fortune 500 company. In 2006, the NCO academy at Lackland Air Force Base was named the Robert D. Gaylor NCO Academy in his honor.

Awards and decorations

Awarded but not worn as the CMSAF

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaylor, Robert 1930 births Living people Chief Master Sergeants of the United States Air Force Recipients of the Legion of Merit