AFDW/CV retires

Published June 9, 2014
By Capt. Renee Lee
Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Air Force District of Washington Vice Commander Col. Michael E. Gantt retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving honorably for more than 26 years.

Growing up in a military family, Gantt was exposed to the military and its way of life from a young age. It was a natural fit when he decided as a high school student that he, too, would join the one percent of Americans to serve in the U.S. military.

Born in New Jersey, Gantt spent the majority of his youth living around various Army posts in the United States and Europe; his father led a career in the Army as a helicopter pilot and communications officer. Gantt's family lived in various assignments, including New Jersey, Tennessee, Ohio, the former West Germany, and finally settling in northern Virginia.

When Gantt lived in West Berlin, where he attended the JFK International School as an elementary student, he recalls visiting the Berlin Wall often.

"I lived a quarter mile away from the wall," Gantt said. "I used to ride my bike to the wall as a kid."

The Army eventually sent Gantt's family back to the United States, where Gantt spent the rest of his school years in northern Virginia. He calls this area, especially Mt. Vernon, home.

As a student at Mt. Vernon High School, Gantt decided he wanted to fly. His father shared his love of flying with Gantt not only as a career helicopter pilot, but as the owner of two small aircraft, exposing Gantt to multiple facets of flying. In fact, Gantt remembers a particular time when flying first seriously sparked his interest.
"I knew I always wanted to fly fighter aircraft since I saw a magazine cover in 1976," he said. "The cover had a red, white and blue test F-16 and I thought that would be cool. I was 11 years old when I saw that."

Gantt's exposure to flying from his father and the cover of the magazine solidified his desire to one day fly as a military pilot. It was a natural fit when he considered joining the Air Force as a college student.

For the next four years, Gantt was a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as a strong safety on the Academy's football team. Still, flying remained his primary focus. In June of 1988, Gantt commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Academy and reported to Williams Air Force Base, Arizona to attend undergraduate pilot training - his first step to achieving his dream as a military pilot.

During the next 26 years, Gantt's assignments took him around the world, including Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Luke AFB, Arizona; Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea; Ramstein AB, Germany; Aviano AB, Italy; Nellis AFB, Nevada; Moody AFB, Georgia; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; Balad AB, Iraq; Geneva, Switzerland; Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany; Eglin AFB, Florida; the Pentagon in Washington; and here at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

As a young officer, Gantt hoped to make the Air Force a career.

"I like moving around and seeing other parts of the world," he said when reflecting on his career. "I like to travel and see different things. Each assignment was fun for different reasons and I loved all of them."

Still, two places of his 25 assignments stand out.

"Being stationed in Germany after having lived there as a child felt like going home," he said. "We visited all the old places I used to know and Germany is like a second home."

However, "If I had to pick one, it would probably be Nellis AFB, where I met my wife."

As the vice commander of AFDW, Gantt is the second in command, leading more than 40,000 Airmen and personnel in the National Capital Region and around the world. When asked for his top leadership lessons to share with Airmen, Gantt focused on people and trust.

"The Airmen we have coming into the service are phenomenal and we need to trust our Airmen to innovate our way into the future ... Powered by innovation, fueled by Airmen," he said, echoing Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the Air Force Chief of Staff. "We need to listen to what our young Airmen have to say and we need to guide them with our legacy.

"Secondly, trust in your people," he said. "We need to give our Airmen opportunities to lead."

Gantt stepped down from his current position this month but will officially retire from the Air Force this fall.