17th TRW reels in a great catch

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Michael Smith
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 17th Training Wing welcomes its 24th Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne Bass. She comes to Goodfellow from the 86th Operations Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany and recently sat down with Public Affairs for an interview.

What are your first impressions of Goodfellow?

It has been an amazing and warm welcome! As I pulled into the front gate and the first two people that met me were defenders, Airman Johnson and Airman People, and they were just sharp and on-point. Since that moment, every Airman I have come in contact with has really shown the utmost professionalism, for that I’m grateful.

What led you to join the Air Force?

I was accepted to the University of Utah, however wasn’t quite ready to go to college. As a military dependent, dad serving in the Army, I was always intrigued by the military, but thought the Air Force would be the better option. And it definitely has!

Why do you continue to serve?

My reasons for serving have changed a lot over the last 22 years. I think the constant has always been that I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. Earlier on in your career many of us serve because of reasons that impact “self”, whether that’s for college, need a constant paycheck or because you want to travel. Those are all good and certainly everyone has reasons why they serve. However, as you evolve and grow in our Air Force you start to come to the realization that there is something way bigger than traveling or paying for college, it’s about the “team”, taking care of Airmen who, in turn, take care of the mission. It’s because of what we do our country is free, our children are free, and that’s why I serve.

What goals do you plan to accomplish during your time here?

My goal is to support each of you and the things that you do to accomplish the mission to the best of my ability. I owe you the top cover to make sure you can focus on the mission, I also owe you the opportunities to make sure that you’re getting developed, trained and inspired. As our permanent party folks are out there inspiring, motivating, developing and leading our Airmen into the operational Air Force, I owe them the same in return.

What message would you like to deliver to Team Goodfellow?

It’s going to be a busy year. There are a lot of changes coming down in the Air Force, but what I ask for you guys is to stay focused on the mission and what you do. Understand your role in the mission, what you bring to the fight and what your overall impact is to the Department of Defense. Trust your leadership, trust that we’ll take care of you. Lastly, make every day count! Choose to make a positive impact in the lives of other Airmen, our organization and our Air Force. I’m excited to be here and I look forward to meeting each and every member of Team Goodfellow. If you see me around, please take a moment to introduce yourself and share what you do, I’d love to meet you and it would be an honor to shake your hand.