McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Fred King, 1st Weather Squadron superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Dec. 4, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “Promoting to chief master sergeant affords me the continued opportunity to serve Airmen and affect changes that improve when needed and sustain when successful. Always take care of the people around you. Arm them with knowledge, position them for success, and empower them. Then get out of their way and let them crush their mission. One word: honesty. We have to be honest with the people in our lives, to include ourselves, at all times. We only communicate effectively if we communicate honestly, especially during difficult or challenging times.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Chad Rosendale, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron operations superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 26, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “I am both humbled and blessed for the promotion to chief. In my opinion, this promotion means a culmination of an entire career, the path taken, and the lessons learned coupled with the opportunity to make an everlasting impact within the organization you are a part of. It is an opportunity to see an organizations vision come to fruition. More importantly, it is an opportunity to give back to the people who make that vision happen. The best advice I ever received was to make my career more about the people around me. I have found, in my experience, that this truth tends to resonate with people more, causing them to go above and beyond what they would consider average. It is our responsibility to generate a culture of performance that is spiritually grounded, morally proven, technically proficient, and physically ready to defend this great nation.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Nathan Cox, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron senior enlisted manager, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 26, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “Making chief master sergeant is a realization of the importance to do everything I can to be worthy of the trust. And if I see a gap, fill it. No excuses. The best advice I was given about increasing levels of leadership is this: ‘More of what you do should be less about you.’ It’s important for all of us to remember that, as members of our nation’s defense, our job is to hold the line. We must resolve to continually strive to become stronger physically, morally, and technically. Millions of Americans trust that resolve. Be worthy of that trust.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Adam Boubede, 627th Civil Engineering Squadron superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Dec. 3, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “I feel honored to have achieved such a distinction and humbled by the new challenges that it will bring. Reflecting on this accomplishment has led me to be grateful for all of my experiences that got me here and I’m thankful for having received all of the mentorship along my journey. I am excited to have an even greater opportunity to develop the next generation of leaders. ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’ is a simple and effective motto that I learned early in my career. Competitiveness can certainly tear down relationships and organizations, but the dynamic changes drastically when we leverage each other’s strengths for mutual benefit and we understand that we grow stronger together rather than apart. An important principle that has proved its worth repeatedly is ‘never forget where I came from.’ I use this mantra as a guide to ensure I am mindful of how my actions, decisions, and behaviors affects all Airmen. Becoming a Chief only serves to emphasize the importance of this message and I will continue to practice it.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Derek Hirshfield, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron lead production superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Dec. 3, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “Throughout my career, I have worked with countless individuals from multiple different Air Force specialties and missions along the way that ultimately shaped who I am and aspire to be. Moving forward as a chief allows me to take that experience and give back. A good piece of advice I received was to network. Getting outside your unit and learning about other career fields and how they contribute to the mission allows you better appreciate the team effort required to provide combat airlift. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here. I am proud and excited to be a part of Team McChord.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Adrien Ruisenor, 62nd Maintenance Group Quality Assurance superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 26, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “I am excited about the possibilities this promotion brings and the changes that it will allow me to make. To me, it shows that you don’t have to have this dream or goal of progressing through the ranks, you can just work hard at your job, and take care of your people, and that’s enough. The Air Force will notice your worth. A piece of mentorship given to me was ‘you’re not so important that the Air Force is going to stop without you, so do the best that you can while you’re still a part of it.’ This one hit me hard as a young non-commissioned officer who thought he was hot stuff, but it really opened my eyes. It doesn’t matter where you get moved to. The Air Force is full of high potential Airmen, and one of them is going to step up and fill the void. You had your opportunity and you should have made it as good as possible for the next guy. I am so proud of all my teams, troops, and teammates. I don’t know why I was so lucky, or how it happened, but my teams were always the most cohesive and hardest working people, and just plainly the best at what they did. They all have been a part of this and I am so proud that we have always been able to come together and make it happen. Thank you to everyone.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Samuel Cole, 62nd Operations Support Squadron superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 25, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “It is a huge honor and a privilege to be selected for this promotion and I intend to continue taking care of my people and aim toward affecting change. A good piece of mentorship that I received was to focus more on being effective and less on being right in most situations that you encounter. Chief master sergeant it is a great milestone and I will work hard to live up to the honor and take care of the Airmen of which I am charged.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Kisse, 361st Recruiting Squadron superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 26, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “Making chief master sergeant is a direct reflection of teachable moments molding me over the course of this journey. I am humbled to have been selected to join the Chief ranks and am blessed to have the opportunity to pay forward the leadership my chief mentors provided to me throughout my career. There is no such thing as a leadership style. We have unique and individual Airmen that make up our force. It’s our responsibility to adapt to that uniqueness, align the strengths and goals of those individuals with the mission, and champion a loyal and dedicated team. Chief master sergeant is not a rank you achieve on your own. I’m forever grateful countless teammates that I’ve worked alongside over years. I’m only on this list because of their efforts, faith and fortitude. Even more so, I’m indebted to my wife and children, they are the ones that truly sacrificed over the years, and my service is their service.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Earll, 62nd Maintenance Squadron superintendent, poses for a photo on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 26, 2019. He was one of the nine McChord Airmen selected this year for promotion to chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. “Making chief master sergeant means the world to me and my family. I love the Air Force and what it has done for us. It is an opportunity to continue to serve and grow, and develop future leaders. The Air Force is a team sport and a family. Deciding what and who you want to be is important. Caring, putting in the time, the desire to do the best job you can every day and having the courage to have difficult conversations when needed are basic keys to success. It is not about you but the positive impacts you have on others. When I first found out, I immediately thought of my first supervisors that took the time to teach how to be an Airman. I owe them the world. Supervisors need to be mindful of the impacts they can have on subordinates.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck)

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McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

Published Dec. 5, 2019
By Airman 1st Class Mikayla Heineck
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASEW LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --

Congratulations to Team McChord's newest chief master sergeant selects!

Read the full captions to hear what it means to them to have been selected for this promotion to the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force and some advice that helped them to get where they are today.

McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sgt. Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019

McChord Chief Master Sergeant Selects for 2019