882nd TRG honors former Surgeon General with portrait

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Retired Lt. Gen. George "Peach" Taylor Jr., former Surgeon General of the Air Force, became the latest to have his face adorn the halls of Bldg. 1900 in a portrait unveiling ceremony Dec. 5. 

Beyond the usual thanks, the general recalled a story about his first duty assignment at Kadena Air Base, Japan. 

In 1979, a boy climbed over a fence leading to a transformer yard in search of his Frisbee and fell, electrocuting himself. Then Captain Taylor, fresh out of tech school and only on station for two months, assisted in the boy's aero-medical evacuation to a burn center in San Antonio. 

General Taylor chose to relate the dramatic experience because just a month ago he received a phone call from that very same boy. 

"He's married now with two kids, a successful businessman" General Taylor said, as if talking about his own child. "He said not a day goes by when his parents don't talk about that time, how he wouldn't have survived if not for the medics." 

He told his audience, consisting mostly of medical students and instructors, to keep in mind the impact they make on others' lives, because it "always comes full circle," and there's no telling who might thank them for their efforts, even 30 years later. 

On the full circle theme, he also noted the irony of his portrait's location, the same base where he attended flight medicine technical school. 

"I put on my first uniform at Sheppard," he said. "My career began here. Now, this portrait they've made to honor that career will hang here at Sheppard. That's just how it works sometimes." 

Current Surgeon General of the Air Force Lt. Gen. James Roudebush offered presiding remarks over the ceremony. General Roudebush cited General Taylor's support of the mission, his desire for high-quality medical care and commitment to exceeding the status quo as his winning traits. 

"You truly made a difference," General Roudebush said to General Taylor. "What you leave in legacy will surely continue to serve us through the years." 

General Taylor agreed with General Roudebush's sentiments, especially concerning his view of the status quo. 

"I've never met a staff I didn't reorganize, I've never met a process I didn't change," he said good-naturedly. "The only way to break down stovepipes in the Air Force is by reorganizing." 

Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux, 82nd Training Wing commander, also attended the ceremony. 

"This portrait will hang proudly, a testimony to the legacy you've left our great Air Force," General Devereaux said. 

He also took a moment to emphasize the importance of the 882nd's mission.
"How well we do our mission determines the fate and quality of our Air Force's medical force," General Devereaux said. 

General Taylor served as the Surgeon General from 2002-2006. He advised the Secretary of the Air Force, the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on all Air Force-related medical matters.