The Air Force this month is marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the chief master sergeant of the Air Force position.
In April 1967, Chief Master Sgt. Paul Airey made Air Force history when he became the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force, according to the service.
"This position would shape how the Air Force grew as the newest service," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein on Feb. 17, as the service welcomed its newest — and 18th — chief master sergeant of the Air Force.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright became the top enlisted leader on Feb. 17, succeeding Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody, who retired.
Congressman Mendel Rivers issued a bill in the 1960's that required all the services to appoint a senior enlisted adviser. The bill failed to pass, but the Air Force went ahead and created the CMSAF position.
Then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John McConnell announced the new position in 1967. In an explanation of the duties of the CMSAF, McConnell wrote, "The man selected to fill this job will be used as a representative of the Airman force when and where this is appropriate, and will serve as a sounding board for ideas and proposals affecting Airman matters."
"I ran into a lot of people who said it was going to be a phony position — there were people who thought that," Airey said. "There were people who said it was something to placate the enlisted force. There were people who said they wouldn't have it because it wasn't going to do what they advertised it as. I couldn't believe this. I had enough faith in the system … it was going to be set up in all good faith to do something for the enlisted force, to make it an avenue of communication, to try and make it a better Air Force, which I, to this day, believe the job has accomplished."
Airey and the 17 other men who have since followed in his path have used their considerable influence to shape the Air Force into what it is today, officials said. They have fought for enhancing professional military education, stressed the importance of higher education, campaigned for quality of life initiatives, and supported joint and coalition operations.
"He was absolutely the right choice to become our first chief master sergeant of the Air Force," Goldfein said. "He fought for a standardized promotion system and laid the foundation for what would become the professional military education that we know today … creating American Airmen — our most powerful weapon."
Mackenzie Wolf is an editorial intern for Military Times.
