New command chief strives to take care of people Published July 19, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- As an Airman who "grew up" in the notoriously rigid security forces career field, James Davis learned a lot from his first supervisor - especially the importance of taking care of your people. "In our line of work, there were no questions asked ... you always did what you were told to do," he explained. "As a young inquisitive Airman, I didn't like just being 'talked at' ... mostly having one-way conversations with my supervisor. He had a good side too. He would ask how I was doing and check up on who I was hanging out with off-duty." More than 23 years later, Chief Master Sgt. Davis brings the lessons learned from his first supervisor and throughout his career to his new job as the 18th Wing's command chief master sergeant. "Taking care of the people of Team Kadena is my priority," said the chief who arrived here six weeks ago from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., where he served as the 316th Wing Command Chief. "If something matters to them, then it matters to me. I want people to tell me what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong and how we can fix things." Chief Davis is now tasked with keeping the wing commander up to date on issues affecting the more than 6,000 enlisted Airmen assigned here. He also serves as the base's senior enlisted liaison between the 18th Wing and enlisted servicemembers representing five other Air Force major commands and sister services within the tenant units here. "Coming from Andrews, Kadena is like Andrews on steroids," the Memphis, Tenn. - native, said comparing Andrews to the largest combat wing in the Air Force. "There's a lot of moving parts here, but the job is still about dealing with the people and the mission." Chief Davis, who was named one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year in 2005, emphasized his commitment to the 18th Wing commander's priorities of: Self, Family and Mission. "The wing commander's first two priorities, self and family, enable us to take care of the mission," he said. Some of Chief Davis's experience and character stems from his previous assignments which include: Sembach Air Base, Germany; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Offutt AFB, Neb.; Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia; Langley AFB, Va.; and McGuire AFB, N.J. He has also deployed several times in support of various operations including Southern Watch, Desert Fox, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. "I've had a lot of memories at each assignment, but the eight months I spent doing the detainee operations mission in Afghanistan was one of the most memorable," he said. "It's rare that you get a chance to come face-to-face with enemy combatants on a daily basis. Working with our sister services to accomplish this highly-stressed mission was amazing." Over the years Airmen develop their own pet peeves on everything ranging from uniform wear to customs and courtesies. For Chief Davis, his biggest pet peeve involves people who "walk by problems." "We can't walk past problems or we become part of the problem," he said. The chief also stressed to the NCO Corps the importance of knowing their role, doing the job right and taking care of their people. "I want people to know I have a spiritual life, a family life and a physical fitness life," explained the father of two boys. "But most of all I want people to know that I care. I really want to make sure our enlisted corps put their demands on me so that I can help take care of them." Some more personal tidbits about Chief Davis ... What do you like to do off duty? When I am not spending time with my family I like playing golf or sports in general. My favorite sport is football. How long have you been married? I have been married for almost 21 years. What has been the most exciting/challenging moment of your life? The most exciting/challenging moment for me was training the Iraqis. Those were very tense times as we were traveling from city-to-city with a goal of training the Iraqis to become a capable of defending themselves. You never knew who the good guys were. How did you get nominated as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year? No one plans to get nominated to be one of the 12. I had a commander and chief in the organization who insisted I be nominated for the Group Senior NCO of the Year. You have no control over what happens and the process continues at each level until you reach nomination from your major command to compete at the Air Force level as one of the 12. We have amazing people doing amazing things, so the next person probably deserved it more than I did. It's a very humbling accomplishment I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience. What word would you use to describe yourself? Unselfish