GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Goodfellow service members, friends and families came together to celebrate with two of the Air Force’s soon to be Chief Master Sergeants at the Event Center on Feb. 15.
Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Henson and Senior Master Sgt. Jerome Wright were congratulated on their soon to be promotion to the highest enlisted rank.
Henson, 316th Training Squadron superintendent, Detachment 1, Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida, serves as the senior enlisted advisor for the Air Force on matters related to morale, welfare, training, effective utilization and readiness of over 450 Air Force personnel at Navy Joint Cyber and Advanced Cryptologic courses per year.
Wright, 315th Training Squadron operations superintendent, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, oversees five technical training courses and a capstone exercise for 2,500 Total Force intelligence professionals each year. He ensures a staff of 200 individuals and instructors equip national agencies, the Department of Defense, and multinational organizations with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance expertise to enable military operations around the globe.
Guest speaker, Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin Higginbotham, Defense Intelligence Agency command senior enlisted leader, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C., spoke on the process that all chiefs go through to reach this moment in their careers.
“Tonight you are being inducted into the highest enlisted rank that is in the Air Force,” said Higginbotham. “I would encourage you to not forget how far you have come and where you started from.”
Higginbotham shared personal experiences and left the inductees with words of advice about stepping into this final rank.
The ceremony closed with remarks from Col. Ricky Mills, 17th Training Wing commander.
“I want to congratulate you again on reaching this rank and role in leadership,” said Mills. “The rank of Chief Master Sgt. makes up only one percent of the enlisted force in the Air Force.”