USAF Master Sergeant Induction Ceremony

My Air Force Master Sergeant Induction Ceremony was held on Friday at Club Muroc at Edwards Air Force Base. It was truly a first class event. The Med Group's own First Sergeant Compton put together the finest dinner/ceremony I have ever seen in my fifteen years. I think the group of Master Sergeant Selects I was a part of made it a nice event as well. It was the first time I had ever been a part of a small class that just gelled very quickly. We only had five days together but it just seemed like everyone was there to get it done and get it done right. So the class went smoothly and was relaxed and the dinner and induction ceremony was even better. Our guest speaker was Chief Master Sergeant Terry Reed, the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the Air Force Personnel Center. He truly hit a home run - one of the most inspirational speeches I have ever seen ANY Air Force member give from any rank, enlisted or officer. The class first met Chief Reed on Thursday morning when the Edwards Command Chief Master Sergeant brought Chief Reed out for a three mile formation run with my class. We ran a very tight, steady, formation run, complete with cadence and Jody calls . At the end, we moved off the trail and onto the track to walk a cool down lap in formation. Chief Reed moved out ahead of us and jogged backwards as he spoke to us, "This is what you do. You lead by example. You get out and do and and show others how its done..." It was really mesmerizing as he continued on in his laid back but captivating voice with the sun rising behind him and the Joshua tress in the distance. It seemed like a scene out of a movie. And the ceremony in the evening was just as inspiring. I must say I am glad Chief Lewis and Chief Soltis pushed us all into buying the mess dress. I was disgruntled at first because it was such a financial burden. But now I have it, I look good in it, and I look forward to using it again in Turkey.

Lot's of stuff still going on. Still trying to deal with the passport issue and saying goodbyes to many.