Air Pressure veteran Robin Lawrence Williams, whose image as the Very hot Pet dog Guy has adorned numerous base exchanges, had died, in accordance to an obituary that was posted on line.
Williams rose to the best of the Air Forces enlisted ranks as chief master sergeant, the obituary says. Just after retiring from the company, he served as a senior plan supervisor at the headquarters for the Military & Air Force Trade Assistance, or AAFES. He died on March 14 of a heart assault at 60
His motivation to responsibility, unwavering leadership, and compassion left an unforgettable mark on all who experienced the privilege of serving together with him, the obituary says.
Born and elevated in London, England, Williams enlisted in the Air Power in 1983 and he accomplished quite a few assignments in the Air Force Professional medical Solutions and Public Wellness vocation field, such as serving as medical operations squadron superintendent, wellness center application manager, and alternate initial sergeant, according to his retirement pamphlet, which his spouse and children presented to Endeavor & Purpose.
Williams also responded to quite a few pure disasters for the duration of his Air Power job, including two earthquakes and 3 typhoons. As element of one these types of reaction, the governor of Guam deputized Williams and his staff members to operate with the Federal Crisis Administration Company.
In 2004, Williams was picked by the head of AAFES to provide as the Food and Drug Basic safety and Protection Office director for far more than 13,000 AAFES title brand name and quickly foodstuff services, 10 distribution centers, and 5 generation plants worldwide. It was here that he was pulled aside one particular working day for an casual picture shoot that led to the photo.
5 decades later on, he deployed as the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Air Power Forces Public Health Supervisor. In that job, he oversaw public wellness functions at 14 professional medical procedure services supporting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As a chief grasp sergeant, Williams served as the 19th Health-related Team Superintendent at Minimal Rock Air Drive Base, Arkansas. He delivered steerage immediately to a few squadron commanders and senior management.
Throughout Williams Air Power occupation, he attained Distinguished Graduate from each official army schooling class that he attended, in accordance to his spouse and children.
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Brad Nisbett, AAFES vice president of corporate coverage, knew Williams individually and explained him as a mentor, good friend, and colleague to all.
In addition to accomplishing photoshoots for AAFES, Williams also performed a pivotal position in the Exchanges HEROES veterans advocacy team, which usually takes portion in community veterans events and shares information and facts about added benefits, Nisbett advised Task & Objective.
He was a chief amongst that group and just a correct patriot inside uniform and outside the house of uniform, Nisbett explained. Theres not a man or woman out there that can say a terrible phrase about him and if they did, theyd be lying.
But the image that designed Williams an AAFES celebrity across the military was taken in 2004. Carrying the then-recent woodland-pattern Fight Dress Uniform or BDUs, Williams is rapturously making ready to devour a scorching dog and soda. His deal with turned ubiquitous at AAFES Shoppettes, which had been afterwards renamed Specific retailers.
As Williams attained fame on the world wide web, a lot of folks became fascinated with the origin story of the AAFES Hot Dog Man. Inevitably, Robert Philpot, editor of AAFES inner publication Exchange Article and historian, wrote a July 2022 tale of how the photograph came to be.
Plainly, even in that dialogue, he had a excellent feeling of humor about the two getting this hot dog male and sharing his title with a celebrity, Philpot informed Activity & Intent on Wednesday.
In 2004, Williams was an energetic-duty senior learn sergeant serving as an Air Pressure community overall health and foodstuff security liaison at AAFES Trade headquarters, Philpot wrote. Lots of folks had been worried at the time about bioterrorist assaults on the US. food items supply in general and navy installations in individual.
His arrival also coincided with AAFES efforts to roll out the Snack Avenue at Shoppettes, which included self-serve roller grills that cooked taquitos and warm canine for shoppers.
Williams recalled to Philpot how he was questioned to have his photograph taken for the Snack Avenue menu.
Currently being new to functioning in the retail organization setting, the only factor I could believe of was, Oh, they just want some pics for the restaurant upstairs in the setting up. Why not? This ought to be exciting, Williams told Philpot. At the time, I absolutely forgot about how global the Trade was and also oblivious to the prospective use of photos for broader promoting.
At the photograph shoot, Williams was advised, Keep the drink up and appear like youre savoring the incredibly hot doggy, he recalled.
Items went perfectly and Williams forgot about the pics right until he was told a pair of months later on that the warm pet shot would be on the menu boards for each and every Shoppette in the earth.
Thats when all the things commenced to snowball, Williams reported. I begun finding calls from close friends in the military services declaring, Is that what you do at the Trade? Choose images and take in incredibly hot canine?
Williams suddenly grew to become recognized wherever he went. At a single Shoppette conference in Phoenix, Williams took the phase and he was greeted with: Oh wow, its the Very hot Doggy Guy! and, Strike the pose!
When he was downrange several years afterwards, airmen and troopers would check with him in the chow corridor if he was the Incredibly hot Pet Male and then check with to have their photos taken with them.
I figured, why not, it was the the very least that I could do to make their day, especially offered the austere conditions that they ended up living and functioning in downrange, Williams explained. In point, numerous of them expressed their excitement and remaining speedily to explain to their friends that they experienced achieved the Hot Dog Male.
Despite the fact that Williams has performed other photograph shoots for AAFES, the very hot dog impression remained his magnum opus. For many years afterward, the photo would instantly turn out to be popular yet again and Williams would get e-mails expressing, The legend life on!
He joked to Philpot that the shots reputation allowed him to achieve a bucket list purpose: Turning out to be an global male model.
UPDATE: 03/20/2024 this story was up-to-date with additional information about retired Chief Grasp Sgt. Robin Lawrence Williams’ Air Force occupation.