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Another adventure? Bring it on

An Air Force pilot's last job was to refuel planes in the air. Now she's working for Donald Rumsfeld.

By MICHAEL CANNING
Published July 16, 2006

TAMPA - Military life has whisked Teri Consoldane to remote locales in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and England.

The 36-year-old Air Force major left MacDill Air Force Base Saturday for her next exotic assignment: deputy director of protocol for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

She will oversee the military and civilian staff that manages Rumsfeld's visits with generals, foreign ministers and other VIPs.

It will be Consoldane's job to coordinate meetings and ceremonies so participants follow the necessary rules, customs and etiquette.

"The protocol people are behind the scenes," Consoldane said. "Everything has to be flawless, but they have to be invisible."

It's a job requiring a certain adroitness in steering larger-than-life personalities through a potential minefield of manners.

Maneuvering large objects is nothing new for Consoldane, a wife and mother of three.

As the acting commander of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron at MacDill for the past 18 months, she has flown KC-135 Stratotankers, which refuel other aircraft.

While in flight.

Thousands of feet in the air.

At several hundred miles per hour.

She's refueled a wide array of U.S. and allied aircraft, ranging from imposing cargo planes and bombers to nimble fighters.

"It's a pilot's airplane to fly," Consoldane said while standing next to a KC-135 at MacDill, its tail towering four stories over her. "She handles real well."

Consoldane knew before high school that she would end up in the military. A native of Tacoma, Wash., she and her family moved to Tampa in 1982 when her father, an Army officer, was stationed at MacDill.

A National Honor Society student at Leto High School, she entered the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1988.

She learned to fly the Stratotanker after graduating from the academy.

But it was when she was stationed in Guam in 2002 as part of the Inspector General's Office when she discovered her skills beyond the cockpit.

"I got to interact with so many people from so many specialties," Consoldane said.

She honed her people skills by the time she went to MacDill in 2004.

"Our squadron was in need of leadership when she showed up," said Capt. Brian McMillin. "She completely turned the squadron around."

The only woman in the squadron's leadership, she is known for her maternal touch, McMillin said. She even has a nickname: Tanker Mom.

Consoldane's husband, Tony, is himself an Air Force veteran. He joked that he often nags his wife to ask when she's coming home.

They married in 1998 and have three children: Maddie, Hanna and Mitchell. They've lived in Temple Terrace since Consoldane was transferred to MacDill.

Though happy in Tampa, she said she jumped when she saw the posting for the protocol position.

"I anticipate it will be a lot of interaction with people, which is my favorite part of military life," Consoldane said. "The higher you go up, the more positive an impact you can have on people."

She'll leave behind a squadron that had grown quite fond of her.

"We're all pretty bummed," McMillin said. "We all just felt like we all needed more time with Major C."

[Last modified July 16, 2006, 01:30:51]