Col. Chapman Returns

Col. George Chapman has returned to Minot Air Force Base as commander of the 91st Missile Wing, bringing with him a leadership philosophy centered on opportunity, teamwork, and the Airmen who make the mission possible. After serving as deputy commander of the 91st Missile Wing and later as deputy commander of the 20th Air Force at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Chapman sees his return to Minot not simply as a career move, but as a chance to lead a wing and community he already knows well.

What Makes Minot Air Force Base Special
Even though many people view Minot Air Force Base as special because it houses two legs of the nuclear triad, Chapman takes a different view. “What makes us different, what makes us special, is truly our Airmen,” Chapman said. “Without the people, it’s just stuff. It’s just equipment, bombs, weapons, material. But it’s the people who make it all happen, and that is without a doubt what makes Minot truly special.”

A small cog sat on Chapman’s table. He explained that even though it may seem like a low-priority maintenance item, the missile re-entry vehicle cannot be lifted and transported without it. Chapman compared that cog to an Airman: if leaders push Airmen too hard without paying attention to their maintenance and well-being, they can break too. “We can draw a parallel between the importance of taking care of our Airmen and taking care of something as small as one simple cog,” he said. “Both are important, and both need to be maintained.”

The Transition for the Chapman Family
Before leaving Minot, Chapman said, the final gift Schlabach gave him was a binder engraved with Schlabach’s call sign and containing his endorsement for Chapman to one day return as commander. At the time, Chapman did not know whether that opportunity would come. He went to Cheyenne to serve as deputy commander of the 20th Air Force; a role he considered an honor. He also found meaning in returning to the same building where he had worked as a captain and aide to the 20th Air Force commander from 2009 to 2011.

Chapman said he learned a great deal working at the operational command level between the wing and the major command, especially as an interface between policy and practical execution. That experience, he said, gives him additional perspective as he returns to Minot and works with mission partners across the installation.

“It was helpful for me coming back here to give additional perspective as to what it means to be a good neighbor,” Chapman said. “To come back and be a good teammate. The challenge that any installation owner has is trying to make everyone happy. It’s more helpful to have good teammates than for one mission partner to get their way.” Chapman said he continues to believe in the TEAM acronym he learned as a young captain: Together Everyone Achieves More. “Coming back here I look forward to teaming up with the other mission partners and the host installation to get after our needs, whatever they happen to be.”

Chapman said the move back to Minot also carries personal meaning because the base and community have become familiar ground for his family.

And the Chapman family? Chapman said the news came about a week after the school year began, while he was sitting in the parking lot at Central High School in Cheyenne. When Gen. Bussiere called to tell him, he had been selected to return as commander of the 91st Missile Wing, Chapman said he was “giddy.” Asked for his reaction, he answered with one word: “BULLY!” He said he was grateful for the chance to command wherever the Air Force needed him, but returning to Minot was a “huge family win.” His son would be able to rejoin friends and graduate with his peers, his daughter had always liked Minot’s snow and cold, and his wife—who had once hoped to avoid Minot—was excited to return. “For all of us it’s a good news story,” Chapman said. The news reached his children sooner than planned, when his son began receiving texts from friends congratulating him on the move back to Minot.

The BULLY Paradigm
“A paradigm is only as good as it is useful,” Chapman said. He said the BULLY paradigm will help guide his command philosophy at the 91st Missile Wing, borrowing the word from Theodore Roosevelt’s expression of appreciation for excellence. For Chapman, BULLY stands for Bold, United, Loyal, Lethal and You: being bold in the mission, united across the installation, loyal to the Constitution and the mission set, lethal through competence, and focused on taking care of every Roughrider on the team.