Chief selects honored during ceremony

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kathleen D. Bryant
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
Moody Air Force Base, Ga. --  The Moody Field Club hosted a Chief Recognition Ceremony to honor the three newest members to join the top one percent of the Air Force enlisted force structure Jan. 16, here.

The evening consisted of a formal dinner, a medallion ceremony and words of encouragement from the Ninth Air Force command chief.

"As a chief master sergeant, you have a lot of responsibility," said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Frank H. Batten III, Ninth Air Force command chief. "The [Air Force Instruction] 36-2618, the enlisted force structure, says 'as chief you must epitomize the finest qualities of a military leader' and that you 'must deliberately develop and mentor our enlisted personnel and the senior enlisted leaders.'

"[Making this rank] comes with expectations," Batten added. "You don't get to stop here. You have to continue to develop your leadership and management abilities to lead at a higher level. It's not about the one percent, it's about the 99 percent of the enlisted personnel that are looking to you every day for your leadership and mentorship." 

Because the biggest part of a chief's job is taking care of the rest of the enlisted force, one of the new chief selects said it is a humbling goal to reach.

"It's something you've dreamt about your whole career," said Senior Master Sgt. Tarah Baxley, 23d Medical Operations Squadron superintendent, who will sew on chief in May. "It's humbling to be able to attain it. All of the people and all of my mentors led me up to this point, it all just came together.

"When I first entered the Air Force, I didn't see myself being in for 22 years," Baxley added. "I said I would take it one year at a time and I've enjoyed it. It was always my desire to become a master sergeant. That's what my dad retired as, so to me it was always a way for me to say I have something in common with him. Once I reached that goal, I set another one."

All the chief selects agreed that to reach the highest enlisted rank it takes a lot of time and people to help get there. 

"No one ever makes [senior master sergeant] or [chief master sergeant] on their own," said Senior Master Sgt. Jason Olszewski, 93d Air Ground Operations Wing intel and inspector general superintendent, who will sew on chief master sergeant in March. ". They have people who are mentoring, guiding and helping them get to the point where they are helping everybody else."

Now that they've made it, the newest chief master sergeant selects have plans to support their Airmen the way the Airmen supported them.

"My Airmen have pushed me to find answers and pushed me to be a better person," said Baxley. "I want to be a voice for them and do whatever I can to help them reach their goals, just like my mentors did for me."

In order for Airmen to reach their goals, they must be willing to take the steps necessary to get there.

"[My advice to the Airmen] is to study!" said Senior Master Sgt. Adonis Santos, 23d Force Support Squadron sustainment services flight superintendent, who will put on chief master sergeant in March. "Get your education done. The full Airman concept is really important because it shows you are a leader."

It can be very competitive for promotions in the Air Force today. In order for an Airman to achieve their goals and reach the top, an individual needs to prove their worth, according to Santos. It takes a lot of sacrifice, but if you're dedicated it's not impossible.