14th CMSAF mentors Moody Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Frances Kriss
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) --  The 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force recently visited here to provide mentorship to Moody AFB Airmen.

Retired Chief Master Sgt. Gerald Murray was stationed here 14 years ago, when the 347th Wing was the host unit, and he was the 347th Wing command chief master sergeant.

Because of his knowledge of Moody AFB and his experience as the 14th CMSAF, he was invited by Col. Gary Henderson, the 23rd Wing commander, to talk about the priorities of the Air Force.

During his visit, Chief Murray spoke about Moody AFB's deployed Airmen, taking care of Airmen and their families and embracing the Wingman concept.

"More than 1,000 Airmen are currently deployed from Moody AFB and are directly in the fight today," he said. "There are also more than 1,000 wives, husbands and children of those deployed members here waiting for them to come home.

"I encourage you to think about those deployed Airmen and their families and keep in contact with them and their spouses," he added. "We must not forget about the wingman concept."

Chief Murray also emphasized the importance of individual career development and the five duties of a leader.

"We must continue to develop as leaders because we are not perfect," Chief Murray said. "Good leaders must learn to do five things: shape the future, establish relationships, deliver results, motivate the team and establish a solid foundation of core values. Also, take advantage of educational opportunities, because it is vital to us."

After his speech, Chief Murray gave members of the audience an opportunity to him ask questions.

One Airman asked about future plans to increase training for joint expeditionary taskings.

The chief's response was that there's already certain training where the instructors were recent returnees from joint deployments. As for the rest of training, Chief Murray said he was unsure of what Air Force leaders will do, but will bring it up to current Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy.

"It's great what Chief Murray's doing with the amount of interaction with Chief Roy, even after he's retired," said Tech. Sgt. Shirley Soto, the 23rd Fighter Group NCO in charge of intelligence readiness. "It's definitely something I think is important, because he still cares about the enlisted corps."

Chief Murray retired as the 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force in June 2006. He currently works for the Lockheed Martin Corporation in Marietta, Ga.