Chief makes history, home at 433rd AW

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Bethaney Trapp
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  “When I was told that I was the first African American female chief in the 433rd, I was proud because I have made a milestone,” said Chief Master Sgt. Laverne Vick, who has been with the wing her entire 28 years in the Air Force Reserve. “I wanted to set an example so I wouldn’t be the last and there would be others to follow.”
Born in Portsmouth, Va., Chief Vick said she had a desire to do something for her country since the time she graduated high school. Chief Vick said her mother did not approve of her joining the service right after high school. Her mother felt the military was no place for women and was very much against it.

“To honor my mother’s wishes, I started my college education at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., but there was always that desire to contribute,” she said.

Chief Vick never gave up on her desire to somehow, even in a small way, contribute something to the people around her. In 1977, after moving to San Antonio, she made the decision to join the Air Force Reserve. She enlisted in November and entered basic military training the following January.

“When I entered basic training, I was 28 years old and was told at that time I just made it under the wire for the cutoff age. Being 28 and training with 18- and 19-year-olds made me nervous because I was not sure if I could keep up with the younger girls,” the chief said. “It turned out they helped me with all the physical training and I helped them to mature and start acting like adults. It was a win-win situation.”

Despite going against her mother’s wishes and the nervousness about basic training, Chief Vick’s career ran smoothly.

“Actually, I have been one of the fortunate ones. I haven’t had any obstacles. I completed all of my mandatory training and (professional military education) early in my career, and my promotions seemed to fall in line,” she said.

Goal-setting is a contributing factor to her obstacle-free career, and she often gives advice to the young Airmen she mentors.

“I think they need to set goals, work to achieve those goals, do the best they can do in all their taskings and responsibilities, find a mentor and stay out of trouble and try to establish themselves as model reservists and leaders, and most of all, earn the respect of their superiors and subordinates,” Chief Vick said.

Chief Vick raised the bar for her fellow colleagues and Airmen who are eager to follow in her footsteps.

“I was raised to believe in individuals as an individual,” Chief Vick said. “I was also taught to respect all heritages. Being born to the African-American heritage has not held me back from any goal that I have tried to accomplish. I support equal rights but I don’t feel that there is one heritage that is better than the other. I stand by Martin Luther King’s dream -- that all men are created equal.

“I’m proud to be an African-American female,” she said. “I hope that during my career I have passed that on in a positive way to other African-American females and they will also be proud of who they are.”

While Chief Vick hopes she positively affects people in her workplace, she is also looking forward to affecting the people closest to her.

“I’ve already accomplished two goals,” Chief Vick said. “That is my retirement from civil service and in three years I’ll have retirement from the Air Force Reserve. Then my full attention will be with my six grandsons, who, I hope, will follow in my footsteps. I also plan to devote more time to my outside passions of bowling and traveling. Usually I travel in the states. I would like to see the other states and historical sites I haven’t seen yet and possibly take a cruise to Alaska.”