CMSAF brings AF message to Kadena

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nestor Cruz
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Air Force's top enlisted Airman toured Kadena Air Base March 21 and 22 as part of a series of base visits throughout Pacific Air Forces. 

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley met with base leadership, spoke at an enlisted call and visited Airmen throughout the base. 

"I thought it was time to come back and visit the great Airmen of PACAF," Chief McKinley said. "I also wanted to talk about what's going on in our Air Force and answer any questions the Airmen may have." 

Chief McKinley said he wanted to find out the concerns of Kadena Airmen and bring them the Air Force message as well. 

During an enlisted call, Chief McKinley led a discussion on the Air Force's top priorities. He also tested the crowd on the Airman's Creed. One Airman rose to the chief's challenge. 

"When Chief McKinley asked the crowd who knew the Airman's Creed by heart, I was a little hesitant to raise my hand," said Airman 1st Class Tiffany Henderson, 18th Medical Operations Squadron health services apprentice. "But I remember when I had recited the creed at basic training, the feeling then was indescribable. I can't say that I wasn't nervous about reciting the creed in front of the chief because my heart was about to jump out of my chest." 

Other Shoguns engaged the chief with discussions on the Air Force's top priorities of winning the Global War on Terror, developing and caring for Airmen, and modernizing the Air Force fleet. 

"I think it's very important for our Airmen to talk about Air Force priorities and understand how they fit into those priorities," Chief McKinley said. 

The former PACAF command chief drew on his career and experience and spoke about the future of Kadena and the Air Force. 

"Our number one priority is winning the global war on terror," Chief McKinley said. "It's about our future, our children, our democracy, our freedoms and the way of life we grew up with. 

"As enlisted members, our goal is to be organized, trained, equipped and ready to do what our nation asks us to do," he said. 

The chief also talked about the modernization of the Air Force's fleet of aging aircraft. 

"The primary thing we need to do is recapitalize our military to get more modern aircraft in our inventory and make us more effective in the future," said Chief McKinley. "In order to maintain air superiority we have to modernize and move forward." 

Air Force Smart Operation 21 was another hot topic during the visit. 

"AFSO 21 should be important to every single Airman," said Chief McKinley. "As we are downsizing our Air Force, we have fewer funds available to us. What's important is that we become as efficient as possible with the resources available to us." 

Chief McKinley said the key to coping with today's challenges is high-quality Airmen.
"Developing Airmen is one of the priorities I'm very focused on," he said. "These are challenging times and we have more ahead of us. Every Airman matters and we need to give them the opportunity to succeed." 

Chief McKinley also had a message for all supervisors. 

"When Airmen get to their first duty assignment, it's important they don't lose all those great things we taught them in basic training and tech school," the CMSAF said regarding such issues as wear of the uniform and customs and courtesies. "It's important we start them off right by getting the right sponsor and the right sponsor is the supervisor." 

Chief McKinley said he wanted supervisors to ensure Airmen remain on the road to success. 

The chief spoke about another Air Force priority which is taking care of families. He recommended "scheduling" time to be with loved ones and advised Airmen to do their best to be there for special family occasions. 

"Get away from work to spend some quality time with your families," said Chief McKinley. "Do everything you can to attend special events such as sports meets, recitals, graduations for your children." 

Quality of life was another focus point for Chief McKinley. 

"It's important to our Air Force because it helps recruiting and retention," he said. "One of the things that helped us with our ability to recruit is the fact that when young Americans join the Air Force, they can expect a certain quality of life." 

Overall, Chief McKinley said he felt his visit was an immense success for him and the Airmen he met. 

"It has been a pleasure being back in PACAF," he said. "The one thing that really impressed me about my visit with the Airmen here in Okinawa is their knowledge of what's going on in the Air Force and the quality of questions they're asking. All the Airmen here are doing a fantastic job and I couldn't be prouder." 

The CMSAF also congratulated Team Kadena for a successful operational readiness inspection. 

"I also want to give congratulations to the whole team for the excellent rating received on your ORI," Chief McKinley said. "That success does not come by accident. It starts with leadership, from the wing commander down to the squadron leaders and every Airman and their family members."