CAPITOL HILL, Washington D.C. – Airmen throughout Pacific Air Forces recently toured historical venues throughout Washington D.C. as part of a professional development effort to further sharpen their knowledge of Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense, and American history, Sept. 22 – 23.
The two-day professional development event included strategic-level briefings at the Pentagon, a tour of Fort Myer’s caisson horse stables, and a visit to the gravesites of fallen PACAF Airmen at Arlington National Cemetery.
Chief Master Sgt. David R. Wolfe, Pacific Air Forces command chief, invited over 40 command chiefs, noncommissioned officers, and senior noncommissioned officers to attend the two-day professional development event immediately following Air & Space Forces Association’s 2022 Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
“We were able to go to the Pentagon and hear directly from a lot of our leaders there, to include the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force,” Wolfe explained. “Our Airmen got an opportunity to better understand the important, nationally strategic-level impacts of what we do in the Pacific and how the Headquarters Air Force and the Department of Defense are supporting us in those efforts.”
The Pentagon tour also empowered PACAF Airmen to engage Headquarters-level senior leaders throughout a variety of directorates to include A1, the Directorate of Manpower and Personnel, A4, the Directorate of Logistics, A8, the Directorate of Strategic Plans and Programs, and the Secretary of the Air Force Department of Manpower & Reserve Affairs.
“I enjoyed it; it was very enlightening, and I learned a lot. I am really glad I was able to participate in the event as there were a lot of great lessons and speakers,” said Tech. Sgt. Diana Grabowski, 11th Air Force cyber surety craftsman. “One takeaway I had from the event is to be yourself and let your credibility stand for itself. Just keep moving forward while growing throughout your career.”
PACAF Airmen capstoned their tour with an opportunity to pay tribute to and honor the sacrifices of fallen Airmen from the Pacific, such as Tech. Sgt. Jason Norton and Brian McElroy. Norton was a security forces member who passed away during a deployment from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska to Al Taji, Iraq, in January 2006. An enemy improvised explosive device struck Norton’s vehicle before he passed away at 31 years old.
“Jason loved NASCAR, hunting and fishing and always had plenty of amusing stories to share,” said former Master Sgt. Timothy John during a 2006 press release. “He loved the squad he commanded and his troops would follow him anywhere. He also loved his family and had very strong family values and we will all miss him.”
McElroy, 28, shared the Humvee with Norton when they were struck while performing their daily escort duties. Like Norton, McElroy also left behind a wife and children when he passed away.
“Brian always made us laugh and he always knew when to jump into a conversation to make us laugh even more. He was a family man and really enjoyed talking to his wife and kids,” said former Staff Sgt. Richard Cleary during a 2006 press release. “His mother gave him a gold cross that he always wore around his neck to remind him to never lose his faith. If you look back, remember the good times and remember him as a good friend.”
McElroy and Norton share the same coffin and headstone, as their remains were unidentifiable after the incident, according to Arlington Cemetery experts. Their story is one of the many anecdotes PACAF Airmen heard during the second day of their Capitol Hill tour.
Overall, the two-day tour provided PACAF Airmen an opportunity to speak to key leaders, network with other Airmen throughout the nine wings and three numbered Air Force units in the command and hear stories of the sacrifices previous generations of Airmen made before them. Chief Wolfe believes the knowledge they take back to their subordinates, leaders and peers will champion the effort to build a stronger generation of PACAF enlisted leaders armed for action.
“We honor and remember the fallen with this learning opportunity,” Wolfe asserted. “I hope they take away a renewed sense of patriotism and honor for their service and the service from those that have come before them. And what I really hope, after this, is that they go back to their bases a little bit more ready to do the job that we need them to do and to help others around them understand why we are here and what we are doing in the Pacific.”