2013 Senior NCO Induction Ceremony: Pride in our Past, Faith in our Future

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Michael Pope
  • Tyndall Top III
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Several hundred Team Tyndall members attended the annual Senior NCO Induction Ceremony Aug. 9 at the Horizons Community Center.

This event celebrates the ascension of 40 enlisted personnel into the senior NCO tier.

"The Senior NCO Induction Ceremony is the formal public recognition of Airmen transitioning into an area of increased responsibility," said Chief Master Sergeant Raymond DeVite Jr., 325th Fighter Wing command chief. "That primary responsibility is to take care of America's Airmen, and I personally can't think of a more important, difficult and rewarding job anywhere."

Master Sergeant responsibilities are uniquely different from those of the NCO tier. These selectees will now transition from being technical experts and first line supervisors to leaders of operational competence. Master sergeants are expected to be skilled at merging subordinates' talents, skills and resources with other teams' functions to most effectively accomplish the mission. This rank carries significantly increased responsibilities and requires a broad technical and managerial perspective.

The theme for 2013 Senior NCO Induction Ceremony was Pride in our Past, Faith in our Future. We can never forget the sacrifices of those enlisted personnel that preceded us. Those brave men and women paved the road on which we now lead the Air Force into an uncertain future. The need for strong leadership within our senior noncommissioned officer ranks is greater now than ever before. Fortunately, today's enlisted ranks are made up of proud Airmen that are more educated, trained to a higher degree, and willing to accept the challenges that present themselves from both external and internal sources. Our faith is well placed.

Team Tyndall was honored to have Retired Chief Master Sgt. Brooke McLean lend his wisdom and experiences to the 40 selected technical sergeants at this time-honored event. Chief McLean was the Command Chief Master Sgt. for Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. In this position, he led 45,000 total force enlisted Airmen of Pacific Air Forces. His responsibilities included advising the Pacific Air Forces commander on all matters affecting the readiness, training, professional development and effective utilization of assigned enlisted personnel. Additionally, he coordinated with the headquarters staff, commanders, and senior personnel on administration and implementation of command policy.

Chief McLean spoke about what it means to be in the senior NCO tier and how responsibilities shift. It is no longer about just being a technical expert; it is about the ability to lead and to put the Airmen first.

Congratulations to Tyndall's newest Senior NCOs:

Aikens, Randy--325th Maintenance Squadron
Ashley, Chad--325th Medical Support Squadron
Barnes, Richard--325th Communications Squadron
Capulong, Ronald--325th MXS
Crawford, Sidney--772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron
Faris, Andrew--325th Security Forces Squadron
Garske, Derek--325th Comptroller Squadron
Harruff, Michael--325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
Hernandez, Jerry--325th CPTS
Hotchkiss, Holly--325th Fighter Wing
Ingram Eric--325th SFS
Kirkpatrick, David--325th Maintenance Group
Kraudy, Cynthia--Airey NCO Academy
Lewis, Lance--Det 1, RED HORSE
Martin, Timothy--325th Training Support Squadron
Merritt, Michael--325th MXS
Moore, Christopher--82nd Aerial Targets Squadron
Moore, Marsha--325th Medical Operations Squadron
Morgan, Sapphira--81st Range Control Squadron
Nadeau, Kimberly--325th SFS
Nettles, Farrah--325th CS
Nottingham, Mark--325th MXS
Petersen, Brooks--325th Force Support Squadron
Quigley, Kyle--325th AMXS
Quinby, Jason--325th AMXS
Remsnyder, Joel--325th MXS
Riley, Michael--372nd Training Squadron, Det 4
Schreyer, Trenton--325th MXG
Scott, Meiko--AFNORTH
Smith, Linda--325th Operations Support Squadron
Smith, Marcus--325th MXS
Soto, Enrique--83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron
Stanton, Lawrence--325th Maintenance Operations Squadron
Stull, Dustin--Airey NCO Academy
Szymanowski, Tomasz--325th AMXS
Tsamardinos, Anthon--325th AMXS
Williams, Chelsea--325th MDOS
Worth, Phillip--325th AMXS
Wright, Clint--325th SFS
Wyatt, Paul--325th AMXS