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Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing gathered together to mourn the passing of the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force March 27.
The chilly afternoon did not deter those who wanted to pay their respects to Chief Master Sgt. Paul Airey, who served as the chief master sergeant of the Air Force from April 1967 to July 1969. He passed away March 11.
The ceremony was narrated by Chief Master Sgt. Robert Appling, 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron chief, Fire and Emergency Services Flight, who opened the memorial by highlighting some of CMSAF Airey’s lasting contributions to the Air Force.
“During his tenure, he worked to improve low retention during the Vietnam conflict,” he said. “Chief Airey led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air-Force-level senior noncommissioned officer academy. His vision became a reality when the academy opened in 1973.”
Senior Master Sgt. Scott Miller, 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 17 chief, helped to coordinate the event.
“As Air Force members, upon hearing of Chief Airey’s death, we knew that we must gather our forces and pay tribute this great enlisted leader,” Sergeant Miller said. “He essentially patterned the position of (chief master sergeant of the Air Force), a position that remains a critical component to the strength, welfare and sustainment of today’s Air Force enlisted structure.
“No other enlisted Airman has had the impact on the enlisted corps of the Air Force as (Chief) Airey,” Sergeant Miller said. “Chief Airey dedicated his life to the service of our country and our Air Force. From his early days spent fighting from a B-24 as an aerial gunner during World War II, to his efforts in shaping the role of CMSAF into the critical part of the Air Force’s senior leadership team that it is today, Chief Airey has earned the respect and admiration of every Airman who has donned the blue uniform. His death is mourned by us all.”
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Robert Wido shared the poem “The Dash” and a prayer during the ceremony.
“Chief Airey will go down in the annals of history as being many things – a chief, an Airman, a (prisoner of war), a warrior, a husband and a father,” he said. “But to those of us who wear the Air Force blue, Chief Airey will always be a model of self-sacrifice, of courage and of integrity. He left us with a noble heritage and a truly professional enlisted force, for which we will always be indebted to this man of honor.”
As the ceremony neared an end Airman from the 52nd Security Forces Squadron conducted a 21-gun salute.
“Honestly, there could be no greater way to honor Chief Airey’s passing than to lower the flag, listen to Retreat and Taps play and salute his legacy one last time,” Sergeant Miller said. “It was a fitting way to say goodbye.”
