PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- When asked, “What is a chief?” some might answer a chief is an E-9, officially, the rank of chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. Others would say it is the highest rank an enlisted Airman can attain, and only one percent of all enlisted service members can hold the rank of E-9. This percentage is not dictated by a commander, but by Congress as part of the Career Compensation Act of 1958. Others would say a chief is a leader, a mentor and a position that is more than just a title or rank number.
Attempting to help clarify “what a chief is” while honoring 302nd Airlift Wing Air Force Reservists who recently achieved this career milestone, the wing’s chiefs’ group held a chief induction ceremony Jan. 9, 2016 here for Chief Master Sgts. James Smith, Stephanie Orawiec, Vicki Robertson and Edwin Martin.
Family, friends and coworkers gathered Saturday afternoon in a 302nd AW hangar to be a part of the celebration and to experience the induction ceremony, which, according to the organizers, had not been held at the wing before.
The formal ceremony elements included a candle lighting ceremony, in which each rank to E-9 was represented by a lit candle signifying the path each of these Airmen took to achieve the highest enlisted rank. There was also a plaque presentation for each of the four new chiefs and a speech by key note speaker, Chief Master Sgt. Otis Jones, 302nd AW command chief, whose connection to the rank began with his father.
“My dad was a chief and he was like a superhero to me,” said Jones. Everyone knew him and everyone ran to him with questions. I wanted to be like that. Jones also talked about some of the attributes he believes make a good chief. “It takes compassion and caring and service before self. All the things preached to Airmen in basic training are the epitome of a chief.”
He also passed along advice for the newest members of the 302nd AW chief community. “Don’t lose the passion and the drive it took to get here. Take care of your Airmen, you serve them.”
Chief Master Sgt. Vicki Robertson, one of those honored during the ceremony, and whose path to chief took her through five career fields and more than 25 years of Air Force service, thinks of chiefs as problem solvers. “I would say my definition of a chief was the go-to person. The one that, no matter what was going on, they could give you advice, point you in the right direction.”
And she has advice to those who aspired to achieve the top enlisted rank. “Prepare. I think it comes back to knowing where you want to go, having a plan to get there, preparing for it, and then pursuing it. Not letting anything stop you. And if that means you have to cross-train or move to another unit, sometimes those are the doors that are opened,” said Robertson.
Col. Erich Novak, 302nd AW vice wing commander closed the ceremony with his view on chiefs. “To achieve the rank of chief takes hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and living the core values. This ceremony is an important recognition of this achievement. Strive to be a chief, it is an attainable goal. Use them as mentors.”
The four honorees of the chief induction ceremony were: Chief Master Sgt. James Smith, 302nd Maintenance Group Superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Vicki Robertson, 302nd Force Support Squadron, Sustainment Services Superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Stephanie Orawiec 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron Superintendent, and Edwin Martin, Space Sustainment Division, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, 960th Network Operations Squadron Manager.