ACC chief master sergeant selects gather at Offutt for 2009 Chief’s Orientation

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Richard A. Williams Jr.
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Approximately 130 chief master sergeant selects braved the sub zero temperatures of Nebraska's winter to attend the 2009 Chief's Orientation here Jan. 12-15. 

The orientation is an intense four-day course designed to build a cornerstone for the service expected of senior master sergeants who have been selected for promotion to the rank of chief, the highest enlisted rank, said ACC Command Chief Master Sgt. Steven Sullens. 

The orientation began with opening remarks from Gen. John D.W. Corley, ACC commander, who congratulated the chief selects and then challenged them to get prepared and accomplish the mission to the best of their abilities. 

"The orientation can be summed up in two words, 'expectations and involvement'," said Chief Sullens. 

"Expectations: the good news is that these individuals are the top senior leaders and will be treated as such by the Air Force. The bad news is that we expect them to perform as senior leaders," the chief said. "It's their responsibility during the orientation to get involved in a wide variety of discussion topics that they're familiar with but may not be as familiar with as they need to be now that they are expected to speak as 'the chief said'." 

The chief selects, along with chief master sergeant mentors from across the command, are brought together early so helpful hints can be learned from experienced chiefs and not the hard way, Chief Sullens said. 

Chief selects are more inquisitive about their roles as Air Force top enlisted leaders; they are much more demanding of information and they face much greater demands than chiefs did in the past, said Chief Sullens. 

"This is the 14 year for the conference and it has grown every year," said Master Sgt. Melissa Hendershot, executive assistant to the ACC command chief. "The first year the conference took place there were 65 participants, this year we had over 130 chief selects, 19 chief mentors and a support staff." 

One of the most important aspects of the orientation is the information, said Sergeant Hendershot, a second year organizer of the event. "As a junior ranking senior noncommissioned officer, I see the importance of trying to set our senior leadership up for success." 

"All you have to do is listen to these individuals on a break, most of them came with the attitude of 'why am I here, I don't need this, they promoted me as a senior and I am ready'. They are learning very quickly that they really don't know what they don't know yet, so the thirst for information is really there now," said Chief Sullens. "If you ask most of them, they would probably like to stay around for a few more days. " 

"I didn't really know what to expect when I came to the conference, I was excited about being promoted and looking forward to the interaction with my peers," said Senior Master Sgt. Vicki Robinson, White House Communications Agency Washington D.C., superintendant of resource management. 

Most of the chief selects hope to learn from peer experience, said Senior Master Sgt. Richard Rhodes, 12 Air Force Command staff, Davis-Monthan AFB, N.M. 

"Being promoted to chief is a humbling and rewarding experience. Also along with being promoted, there's a bit of anxiety that goes along with it, but it is nice to know that you are not alone when you have issues, said Sergeant Rhodes." 

"One of the most important things about a gathering of this nature is the networking involved. The sharing of information is vital to our success as leaders," said Sergeant Robinson. 

"I am very humbled to have been promoted and one thing that we should all take away from here is that just putting on the stripe doesn't mean that we should change who we are or how we do our job," Sergeant Robinson said. "Our job is to grow and groom our Airmen to one day take our place and ensure that they have the equipment to do the jobs we ask them to accomplish on a daily basis." 

Along with the networking involved, the newest members of the top enlisted rank were given a crash course on many of the difficult issues that face today's Airmen in the field and at home and their expectations. 

The chief's primary duty is to be a leader, to provide mentorship and to stay involved in the Airmen's careers, Sergeant Rhodes said. "A Chief should be an example, approachable and humble. We can't forget what got us here."

"The one thing that all of the participants need to take from this is that they are all chief master sergeants in the Air Force and they speak for each other, said Chief Sullens. 
"The expectation for all is the same. If one of us messes up we all mess up and if one of us excels they excel on behalf of the group."