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Meet the new Civil Engineer Squadron commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erica Holbert-Siebert
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
7/29/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- --  Lt. Col. Scott Bryant, the new 375th Civil Engineer Squadron Commander, assumed command July 24. The Texas native came from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, most recently after serving as the squadron commander of the 436th CES. Bryant's aim is to reflect the Air Force core values, and he is excited to get to know his Airmen and be a part of great things to come.

Q: What led you to join the Air Force?

A: "Service Before Self" has been a part of my family's fiber since I can remember. Coupling that outlook on life with my own father sharing that he gained foundational leadership and career skills during his years of Air Force service propelled me to learn more about what a career in the military would entail. My desire to serve in the Air Force was cemented after making my first college visit in high school to Texas A&M University and meeting my soon-to-be cousin-in-law who was a proud member of the Corps of Cadets. A few years later, I became a member of the Corp of Cadets and knew the Air Force would be home.

Q: What is your favorite Air Force memory?

A: Each assignment and deployment has provided rich memories that have shaped who I am as an Airman. However, I look back fondly on my first three years in the Air Force that I spent at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in the late 1990s. My first assignment provided a rock solid foundation. While the work was challenging and rewarding, it was the people who shaped my experiences. It was from my fellow group of approximately 12 Company Grade Officers that I learned having a peer group to lean on, learn from, and celebrate with was essential.

From this group I met a lieutenant from Ohio who kept telling me that I should meet his sister. After five years of his persistence, my curiosity got the better of me. He had been right, although now I think he should have been a little more persistent earlier, for not only did he make a great wingman, he makes for a better brother-in-law! It was from my early squadron commanders, then Lt. Col. Marshall Lounsberry and Lt. Col. Theresa Carter, that I learned the value of getting to know each individual person and to inspire, encourage, and thank people on an individual level.

It was from my chiefs and SNCOs that I learned by example what the mission was and what the Air Force core values meant. It was from my civilian supervisors in the engineering flight and the operations superintendents that I learned how to be involved as part of the squadron and how to think and help the squadron for long-term success. My memories are of the likes of then Tech. Sgt. Veronica Jankowski, and Staff Sgt. Alicia Wilder, and Senior Airman Tim O'Connor and too many more to name that I learned respect and the things weren't about rank, but about the individual. From those first experiences I learned the valuable lesson that people are an organization's most valuable asset.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a commander?

The people! Hands down. Everyone has a story, and I thoroughly enjoy knowing the people I work with. I have found that once you get to know people, a trust can be formed and from that bond comes a potential for a team to do great things. I never tire of seeing that transformation happen within a squadron - getting to sincerely know the people and then being a part of great things happening.

Q: What can 375th CES Airmen expect from you?

A: The 375th CES Airmen and broader Scott AFB community can expect nothing less than excellence. Know that I am thrilled to be here and be a part of this team. Expect for me to learn from you and with you. Expect for me to encourage you to better yourself and the squadron. Expect for me to serve the squadron and the mission of this installation with my whole heart.

Q: What advice do you have for them?

A: Be present; planning for the future is essential but don't let the present moment and experiences be short-changed by spending too much time in a "what if" mode. Be a wingman; this journey is not meant to be a solo one and it is much more enjoyable and rewarding if we all look out for one another and always look for the good in one another. For me, when my kids ask at the dinner table "what was the best part about your day?" I always answer without hesitation, "coming home to you." If you have a family, they should be the best part of your day. If you do not have local family, find a way to give back to the community or something you are passionate about outside of your hours at work.

Q: What do you look forward to the most?

A: Coming home to my family! We are ecstatic to call Scott AFB home, and we have a large bucket list of family adventures we look forward to experiencing while we are here. At work, I look forward to getting to know and seeing our young Airmen grow and their careers expand. And without a doubt, I look forward to doing my best to live up to the reputation and legacy of the 375th CES and seeing the unit reap the accolades of hard work and dedication to our mission and career field.

Q: Who is your hero and why?

A: Without hesitation, my hero is my father. He lived and breathed Service Before Self--be that his years serving in the Air Force, his years as a high school counselor spending longer than most when it came to meeting with students, his countless hours spent with my brother and I in Boy Scouts, and most importantly, the example he set as a husband and father. He unexpectedly passed away in February 2009; while special milestones pass and I wish he were here for them, it is often more of the every day moments and seemingly mundane things that make me miss him the most. He was a man who instilled in me to never miss a moment; cherish the little things. Anyone who knew my father would tell you that he knew them; he really knew them. No one ever felt rushed around him. He listened. He created healthy discourse and dialogue. He encouraged me, he is my hero and I wish to honor him in how I serve at work and at home.