HISTORY: The man behind the AFCEE shield

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The man behind the design and development of the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment's shield, an organizational symbol since 1994, is Rich Perry, who has been with the organization since its inception and currently serves as its multimedia manager.

Mr. Perry came to AFCEE from the Air Force Regional Civil Engineer-Ballistic Missile Support Office at Norton AFB, Calif., where he initially had assisted with architectural drawings and then began assisting with the organization's presentation requirements.

During his time there, many of his presentations were used to brief senior leadership.

"I would go through a multistep process in order to make color presentations," he said. "Over time, I was able to develop the skills to take it to a whole different level."

When the office was selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, J.B. Cole, AFCEE's first director, selected Mr. Perry to work for the new organization.

"I remember when I went to Norton," Mr. Cole said. "I interviewed the people that were available and they asked if I wanted anyone. I said Rich Perry. And he's been critical to telling the AFCEE story since the agency started."

Mr. Perry said he was unsure at the time about taking the step to move across the country and join the new organization.

"I was leaving everything behind," he said. "My family, my friends, my wheelchair basketball team, my teaching at the church -- I was literally having to leave my entire life to come here. At first it was tough because I was a wheelchair person, with no family here in town."

Mr. Perry said a bit of irony was the confirmation he needed that it was a good move for him.

"I had two locator services looking for an apartment for me," he said. "They found maybe 25 to 30 apartments that might work. I came to San Antonio for four days to look for a place. The first three days, I was just not finding anything. Some were handicap accessible, but not wheelchair accessible. On the fourth day, I had two stops. The first was a small, single-person apartment. I went to check the other, and, by the time I came back to the first, somebody else had already been there to try to rent it."

Luckily, Mr. Perry said the person at the complex had reserved the apartment for him, and mentioned that she thought he would enjoy the couple that lived upstairs, since the husband worked for the Air Force as did Mr. Perry.

Two months later, Mr. Perry completed the move to San Antonio and started working for his new boss, Pat Kramer, who had just joined AFCEE from the Pentagon.

Mr. Perry said he was moving some boxes to his patio when he noticed the familiar face of Mr. Kramer walk past his patio. As luck would have it, Mr. Kramer lived in the apartment right above him, Mr. Perry said.

"At that time in the 90s, there were over 960 apartment complexes that you could look at in San Antonio, from what they told me," Mr. Perry said. "There were 988 apartments just in this complex and my very first boss lived right up there above me. That's how uniquely God had worked in my life - to kind of give me an 'It's okay to be here.'"

During his time at the organization, Mr. Perry worked hard to help the organization stay up-to-date technologically, particularly in the areas of audio-visual and multimedia equipment including managing the agency's copier systems.

When leadership was looking into potential designs for a shield for the organization, Mr. Perry requested that he be allowed to "give it a shot." Leadership was agreeable, and Mr. Perry's final design was approved by the Air Force Historical Research Agency on June 15, 1994.

The colors and symbols in the shield are symbolic of AFCEE's mission, Mr. Perry said.

Ultramarine blue and Air Force yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations, while yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of all Air Force personnel. The compass represents the unit's design and construction functions. The eagle is the national symbol and reflects the Center's mission to keep protecting the environment. The wreath of laurel symbolizes the Center's personnel and their commitment to excellence in their work.

The shield underwent a minor modification in 2007 when the organization's name changed from Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence to Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment. The change, also initiated by Mr. Perry, abbreviated the organization's name because of space limitations.

(This is one of a series of articles as AFCEE prepares to celebrate its 20th Anniversary)