Former chief master sergeant of the Air Force gives Sheppard Airmen advice

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Corbin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In the midst of a hectic week preparing for the 2007 Open House and Air Show, Team Sheppard got a special treat Oct. 19 when retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray held an enlisted call at the base theater.

Chief Murray visited Sheppard as an employee of the Lockheed-Martin Corporation, as part of the grand opening of the F-22 Raptor Maintenance Facility. But, offered to speak to Team Sheppard during his free time.

The former chief has only been retired for just over a year, but said he already misses being a member of the U.S. Air Force.

"Seeing you all, it makes me feel like I was back in uniform," he said.

The chief said that while he may be an employee of Lockheed, he still gets to be involved in the Air Force - something he's very glad about.

Chief Murray sits on the boards of a number of Air Force related organizations, including the Air Force Association and the Armed Forces Benefits Association. He said it was important to him to help continue to support Airmen.

Before answering questions from Team Sheppard, Chief Murray addressed a few things that were important to him.

He started out by discussing how he believes education is important to today's Air Force.

"I believe this military needs it," he said.

He said it's not only important to help Airmen improve themselves - though that is a big part of it - but to also keep pace with the Air Force's growing use of technology. He used the set up of the new Cyberspace Command as an example.

"The only force that can set up a cyber command and protect our nation in air, space and cyberspace is the U.S. Air Force," he said.

He went on to talk about the Air Force's physical training uniform, or at least a few topics on it.

"I could spend a day telling you about this uniform," he said.

He said when he became Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force he was given the goal by Gen. John Jumper, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, to bring a new fitness program in. One of the chief's goals that went along with this was giving Airmen a better PT uniform to go along with it.

Due to budget concerns, it was decided to use the Army's PT uniform with different colors and designs.

While he acknowledged there are flaws with it, noting the swishing sound that's notoriously found annoying by most Airmen, he said fixes were in the works.

After finishing up on the PT uniform, the chief then opened the floor to questions from Team Sheppard Airmen. Topics included questions on the new dress uniform, the fitness program and enlisted performance reports.

On the new dress uniform, the chief advised Airmen to give advice to give plenty of feedback on it, citing that's how changes to the ABU were made.

"Let your voices be heard," he said. "Let leadership know what you think about the uniform. But whether you agree with (the final product) or not, salute ... and wear it proudly."

The chief was also asked how the current fitness program was decided on, most likely since it was his number one priority for a time.

He replied with a simple statement.

"Science," he said.

He went on to explain that doctors and physiologists were consulted to help make the fitness program simple yet still promote good health and well-being among Airmen.

When asked about the inflation of EPR's, he replied it was an inflated system, and it was up to those who filled them out to fix that. He said he did not like the idea of quotas to help alleviate inflation in scoring.

The chief wrapped up the enlisted call by saying how important NCO's were to the future of the Air Force and its Airmen.

"We have to keep a strong military, a strong Air Force and a strong non-commissioned officer corps," he said. "NCO's are the backbone of the Air Force."