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The Point Was … That's the Way You're Supposed To

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The Point Was … That's the Way You're Supposed To "The point was … that’s the way you’re supposed to prepare — early, thoroughly, full ... I attribute a lot of the good things that happened to me in life was because I listened to that guidance." 28 · usafa.org 2018 DG Distinguished Graduate Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward “Randy” Jayne II Class of 1966 oth during his career and as an ac- fully,” Jayne recalls. “I attribute a lot of the complished sharpshooter, Maj. Gen. good things that happened to me in life was (Ret.) Edward “Randy” Jayne II nev- because I listened to that guidance.” Ber has had much difficulty hitting the target. Even as a cadet, Jayne would be in bed at As a high school scholar-athlete from a decent hour when roommates would be up Kirksville, Missouri, his target was to land until the wee hours of the morning studying. an appointment to the United States Air While serving at the White House, Jayne Force Academy. would almost always head home by 6 p.m. As an Air Force pilot, Jayne had his “Unless the president of the United States sights set on fighter aircraft and heart- said, ‘No, we need to talk,’” he clarifies. pounding missions. Many of his colleagues, however, would As an Air Force officer and a civil servant, stay at the office until midnight. he hit the bull’s-eye with leadership opportu- “They thought they were working harder nities that influenced public policy decisions than other people,” Jayne chuckles. “My at the highest levels of government. mother would tell you that’s most probably And later, as an executive in the aerospace not the case.” and defense industry, Jayne was fully engaged in helping guide the development of weapons Active Childhood platforms that would assure our nation’s supe- As a youngster, Jayne loved to hunt, fish, riority in the air and on the battlefield. swim and play baseball. “I lived outside as a Jayne fully appreciates the fact that many kid, basically,” he says. of his goals might not have been achieved His quest for adventure didn’t stop there. had he not listened to his mother’s advice as He learned about a relatively new institution a youngster. If you’re up past 10:30 p.m. the — the United States Air Force Academy — night before a final or when a paper is due, where a young man could attend school and she told him, you’re doing something wrong. eventually learn how to fly jets. Procrastination and cramming just make “In those days, a lot of people did not you tired and they don’t lead to excellence. know about the Air Force Academy,” he ad- “The point was … that’s the way you’re mits. “But I had an upperclassman in high supposed to prepare — early, thoroughly, school that I looked up to — John Moore Checkpoints · March 2019 · 29 Checkpoints · September 2015 · 29 Missouri. For sport, somebody else’s life because of those extra min- Jayne as a youngster utes in the books or the extra minutes thinking "I know many times often hunted bullfrogs about how to do something,” he says. with a rifle. The second lesson, and sometimes even it saved my life or “At some point in more significant, was the power of mentoring. my youth, my father “There were people who did that for me somebody else’s life came home with a when I was an underclassman,” he explains. because of those extra beautiful Smith & “I’d like to think I’ve tried to do the same Wesson 22 revolver,” thing as a cadet, as an officer and as a civilian. minutes in the books he recalls. “I looked I think that’s very important. Throughout at it and asked, ‘Why my adult life, I continued to benefit from or the extra minutes have you done that?’ outstanding mentors, including a number of thinking about how to do He said, ‘Because you USAFA grads.” and your brothers are something." not giving the frogs enough of a chance with a rifle.’” Another activ- (’61) — who went to the Academy. Every ity Jayne enjoyed was the Cadet Duplicate time he would come home, I would quiz Bridge Club. As a Doolie, on Friday and Sat- him about what it was like at the Academy. urday nights, he would escape with friends That’s really what got me interested.” to play bridge in tournaments in Denver and Colorado Springs. Terrazzo Moments “The thing I learned — because my moth- Jayne still doesn’t know the origins of his sin- er is a phenomenal bridge player — was that gular focus on becoming a pilot. He’d never you can never trust the little old lady across even been in an airplane as a youngster. the table from you,” he laughs. “We found “The first time I was ever in an airplane some great bridge players, sometimes quite Continuing Education was Doolie summer, flying an orientation cutthroat, who were grandmotherly types.” As graduation approached, Jayne was flight in a T-33 jet,” he smiles. “At that point, By the time he graduated, Jayne had fully pumped about attending pilot training. I knew this was what I wanted.” absorbed the honor code and learned other But then-Col. Mal Wakin recommended As both a “nerd and a jock,” Jayne found lessons that helped carry him through life. that a few firsties apply for a National Sci- himself enjoying both the academics and the The most important lesson was being fully ence Foundation Graduate Fellowship. It physical challenges of cadet life. engaged and prepared. happened to be the first year that political Jayne eventually became a political sci- “I know many times it saved my life or science and economics students were able ence major. to apply. Jayne was awarded one of the fel- “I didn’t realize that I was into political sci- lowships. Thanks to guidance from another ence until I took my first Academy class as a mentor, Col. Wes Posvar, then head of the sophomore,” he says. “I just loved it, and I Political Science Department, Jayne landed couldn’t get enough of it.” at the then-top-ranked political science grad- Extracurriculars also were an enjoyable uate school in the country — the Massachu- diversion during his cadet years. He played setts Institute of Technology (MIT). freshman football and freshman baseball, “MIT was a remarkable place in many of and also was a four-year member of the US- the same ways that the Air Force Academy AFA varsity pistol team. is,” Jayne says. “I benefited both from a pro- “We competed in pistol against a lot of foundly impressive faculty, who were totally colleges, some of which were pretty good,” dedicated to teaching us young folks what he remembers. “But our real competitors we needed to know, and I had an amazing were Army and Navy. Three of the four years group of classmates — fellow graduate stu- I was a cadet, we were the national cham- dents. We coached each other, mentored pions — beating Army and Navy. One of each other, helped each other get through.” those four years, Navy barely beat us out and He would finish his Ph.D. and then -fi we came in second.” nally head off to pilot training. Jayne was a pretty good shot with a pistol, “It was very unusual to get a Ph.D. and thanks in part to the bullfrogs of northeast then go to pilot training,” Jayne says. “There’s 30 · usafa.org Distinguished Graduate • 2018 OPPOSITE: Randy Jayne married Nancy King on June 18, 1966, in Kirksville, Missouri. OPPOSITE RIGHT: Randy and Nancy are pictured during the graduate school years at M.I.T. They arrived there in an old 1965 Chevy Impala. LEFT: Jayne is pictured during pilot training (UPT), Class 71-02, at Moody AFB, Georgia. BOTTOM: Randy Jayne is pictured in the A-1 Skyraider, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, May 1971. an Air Force regulation that makes great ment,” he admits. was what caused me to be selected as a White sense. If you get a Ph.D., you must have a In 1974, Jayne would return for a second House fellow,” Jayne explains. “That was so directed duty assignment immediately after tour of duty in Vietnam, this time flying the visible at that time in Washington — the to utilize the degree, which is a good use of F-4 Phantom. idea of leading rescue missions to bring back the taxpayers’ money.” When he returned to the states, Jayne downed Air Force and Navy pilots from the In order to go to pilot training, Jayne went back to Moody as a T-38 instructor. jungles of Laos and North Vietnam.” needed a waiver. He got the unprecedented “I’ve always believed that my IP time Jayne arrived in August 1973 with the White waiver, thanks to a good word from one of was the best training I could have had for House in the midst of the Watergate scandal. his MIT professors with impeccable Penta- the next 20 years of being a fighter pilot,” “We watched this whole thing for a year, gon connections. Jayne would retain his pi- he says. “Multiple times it saved my skin, and in August of 1974 — right as our year lot slot, and the circumstance later became or somebody else’s, because of the things I ended — the president of the United States known by some subsequent USAFA grads learned teaching other people to fly.” resigned,” he recalls. “We had the distinc- able to use the same waiver as the “Randy tion of being the only White House Fellows Jayne Rule.” Public Policy class that was there when a president stepped “Named after the first person who got to Sandwiched between his two combat tours, down.
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