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Chief Master Sergeant Ernesto J. Rendon, Jr. serves as the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base. As the senior enlisted leader, Rendon provides counsel to the commander and senior leadership on military readiness, mission effectiveness, professional development, morale, welfare, training, and good order and discipline of the wing’s 8,000 personnel.
Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Command Chief for the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England.
The 86th AW Public Affairs office sat down with Chief Rendon and discussed his leadership style, how his mentors shaped his career, and the importance of being present in our professional and personal lives.
Q: What are your priorities as you assume this leadership role here at Ramstein?
A: First, I’d say it’s important our priorities are always focused on our Airmen. Right now, by the nature of where we’re operating in this theatre, we must be mission ready. Readiness means we’re prepared to defend the base, be mission ready and be able to operate under any environment. Every Airman, from the person who just arrived out of basic training, to our oldest Airmen must be ready to execute his or her role. So, that’s why Brig. Gen. August and I are focused on making sure that our Airmen are equipped, trained and ready to execute our mission and to fight our nation’s wars.
Q: What are your goals during your time at the 86th Airlift Wing?
A: I think the ultimate goal is to stay ready to contribute to the execution of our COCOMs responsibility by providing airlift as the premier airlift wing in the world while still making sure we’re taking care of one another.
Q: Looking at your Bio, we see you have served all over from Texas to Japan, Qatar, Washington, Turkey, England and this will be your fourth tour in Germany. How have those assignments prepared you for your new position?
A: I’m a big believer in development. Ultimately, we all gain experiences every day, and all of those assignments brought different challenges and different opportunities that I think helped prepare me for this role. I learned from experience, how important it is to slow down and live in the moment so you’re best prepared for the next challenge.
I began my career as a Port Dawg operating on the flightline in Germany at Rhein Main Air Base. I continued to do some development special duty jobs in tech training and also as a first sergeant. The funny thing I learned later that I didn’t understand at the time, was how those assignments and units gave me a perspective that I benefited from professionally and personally. I got a perspective that I don’t know I would have received, had I not had the career path that I did. Ultimately, I think all those opportunities came because, 1)I was willing to say ‘Yes,’ when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said “Hey Ernie, I think this is a good opportunity for you.” And, 2) I stepped out of my comfort zone in many of those assignments. I was rewarded with the opportunity to grow, learn, and develop in ways I would have never imagined. Now I have the opportunity to give some of that back to those Airmen coming after me.
Q: What thoughts went through your mind when you found out you were coming back to Ramstein to serve as the Command Chief for the 86th Airlift Wing?
A: I was excited. It was bittersweet. To have the opportunity to come back to Ramstein as the Command Chief is special. It will be the highlight of my career; my family and I are pretty excited. Melissa [my wife] and I are ready to make a positive impact here.
Q: What would you like the men and women of the 86th Airlift Wing to know about your leadership style?
A: I am a pretty collaborative guy. When I was coming through the ranks, I valued having folks explain the ‘why’ to me. Early on, I struggled some, I questioned things often—really often. If something didn’t make sense to me I’d always want to ask ‘Why are we doing this?,’ ‘Why does it matter?’ I thought I knew a better way to do it and I wanted people to listen to me. That’s shaped how I’ve always been and how I operate today. I work really hard to collaborate with group chiefs to come up with what makes the most sense as an organization and for the Airmen who are counting on us. I think the best way to come up with a solution is to collaborate with a team and receive all those inputs, then work to find the solution. Then, communicating that down to the lowest level is the next important thing. We need to be able to communicate to folks why they’re doing things and why those things matter.
Q: Who were your most influential mentors and what did they teach you?
A: My mom was the first real mentor I’ve had, she’s the real reason I’m here today. We weren’t wealthy, in fact we got by mostly when I was very young. She always taught me the value of working hard and being dedicated to the people you care about the most, the value of faith, and she kept me in line when I was starting to stray.
My wife and I joined the Air Force together in October 1992, she has been by my side throughout my entire career. I owe who I’ve become to her, she’s kept me very grounded.
Later in my career, as a young first sergeant at Yokota Air Base, my Command Chief, Chief Master Sergeant Linus Jordan was a perfect model of what being a senior enlisted leader is all about. He made time for everybody. When you were in his presence you were the only thing that mattered, he knew exactly how to make you feel important, and he would go out of his way to make sure he was looking out for everyone.
There are a lot of other people throughout my life and my career who have been influential, but those are some key personnel who’ve shaped me at moments when it mattered most.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: I like spending time with my wife, since my kids are adults living on their own, and I play golf on a fairly regular basis. We also enjoy reading and traveling. In this job, you do a lot of talking with people. So, spending quiet moments with friends and family are what help me recharge my batteries.
Q: You’ve stated “Self-care is the most critical piece of resiliency.” What kind of self-care do you feel is important or practice yourself?
A: Unfortunately, as humans we don’t have sight-gauges so it can be difficult to see when someone’s resilience has been depleted. It’s so important to understand how you decompress and what gives you peace of mind. I’ve spent my Air Force career doing what makes me happy, and I make sure to enjoy time with family and friends. I recommend everyone figures out how to unplug, know what causes undue stress and what gives you joy.
Q: What would you do differently if given the opportunity?
A: I would do all the same things, except I’d focus a little more on relationships with people. One of the things I’ve taken away from the retirement ceremonies I’ve been to is what really matters in the end is the people you’ve had these experiences with. I really get that now and I wish I would have figured that out as a younger Staff Sergeant. I spent too many of my early years focused on what’s next, because as I look back I see I’ve had the chance to do some really cool stuff. I think back to operations we contributed to as young guys and I wish I would have taken more time to enjoy with the folks around me.
